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Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1994 television seasons
1995 television seasons
Lists of science fiction television series episodes
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Little Green Men (The X-Files)

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"Little Green Men"
The X-Files episode
Little Green Men (X-Files).jpg
An alien appears before Fox Mulder. "Little Green Men" was the first episode of The X-Files to actually show a live extraterrestrial.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 1
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Glen Morgan
James Wong
Production code
2X01
Original air date
September 16, 1994
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Raymond J. Barry as Richard Matheson
Vanessa Morley as Samantha Mulder
Marcus Turner as Young Fox Mulder
Mike Gomez as Jorge Concepcion
Les Carlson as Dr. Troisky
Fulvio Cecere as Aide
Deryl Hayes as Agent Morris
Dwight McFee as Commander
Lisa Ann Beley as Student
Gary Hetherington as Lewin
Bob Wilde as Rand[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "The Erlenmeyer Flask" Next →
 "The Host"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Little Green Men" is the first episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 16, 1994 in the United States. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on August 28, 1995. The story was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by David Nutter. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology. "Little Green Men" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.3, being watched by 9.8 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received largely positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Mulder goes to the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico to continue his search for proof on extraterrestrial life. Meanwhile, Scully attempts to aid him after being separated following the closure of the X-Files.
"Little Green Men" was written specifically as a way for Mulder to question his belief in aliens. The episode features the first appearance of an extraterrestrial, because series creator Chris Carter felt it was time to unveil one. In addition, the episode introduces the character of Senator Richard Matheson. Matheson was named after the sci-fi and horror writer Richard Matheson, who wrote many episodes of The Twilight Zone.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and casting
2.2 Filming
3 Broadcast and reception
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
In the episode's prologue, Fox Mulder narrates a history of NASA's Voyager program and the now-defunct High Resolution Microwave Survey, which sought to contact extraterrestrial life in outer space. At the Survey's abandoned observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the equipment inside suddenly activates, indicating a response from an alien intelligence.
Since the closure of the X-Files, the FBI has re-assigned Mulder to a low-level wiretap while his former partner, Dana Scully, has returned to teaching at the FBI Academy. The two have a discreet meeting at the parking lot of the Watergate Hotel, where Mulder admits that he has been doubting his belief in the paranormal since Deep Throat's assassination. Mulder flashes back to the night when his sister, Samantha, was abducted.
Mulder is summoned to a meeting with Richard Matheson, a U.S. senator who is a patron for his work. Matheson directs Mulder to Arecibo, assuring the agent that he will try to hold off a Blue Beret UFO retrieval team said to be headed there in twenty-four hours. Mulder arrives at the Survey station, where he finds a frightened Hispanic man, Jorge, who draws a picture of an alien that he claims to have seen. Meanwhile, Scully, unaware of Mulder's whereabouts, tries to find him. Reviewing a list of flights from Washington, Scully tracks Mulder down to Puerto Rico.
Mulder discovers a signal, possibly originating from an extraterrestrial intelligence. During a storm, Jorge gets scared and runs outside. Mulder finds him dead of fright. When Scully goes to an airport to fly to Puerto Rico, she realizes she's being tracked by a couple, but manages to escape from them. Meanwhile, as Mulder investigates Jorge's corpse, the room shakes. The door opens and the shadowy figure of an alien appears. Scully wakes Mulder up the next morning, finding him excited about the readouts and tapes of the signals—the proof of aliens he has sought for so long. However, the Blue Beret team arrives, forcing them to flee with only a tape reel.
Upon his return to Washington, Mulder is admonished by Assistant Director Walter Skinner and the Smoking Man for his actions. Mulder claims he still had enough evidence with the days missed to prosecute the subject of his assigned wiretap, and that his own phone calls were being monitored. Skinner demands that the Smoking Man leave the room, and decides to not discipline Mulder. Investigating the tape reel, Mulder finds it blank due to a power surge during the storm.[1]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode contains numerous references to the Voyager program and, more specifically, the Voyager Golden Record.
Writing and casting[edit]
This episode was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong and directed by David Nutter.[2] Originally, the season two premiere was supposed to be written by series creator Chris Carter. In the rough draft of this version, Mulder would have been sent to Moscow. Carter, instead, assigned Morgan and Wong the task of writing the season opener.[3] Before working on The X-Files, Morgan had written a script with the same name about a man who goes to a telescope located in Chile. The script was never made, but Morgan liked various elements of it, so he cannibalized parts for "Little Green Men".[4] In addition, the episode was specifically written for Mulder to question himself and his beliefs.[5] According to the two writers, one of the main themes of the episode is “the idea that we all have to fight our own little green men and carry on.”[3]
Senator Matheson was named after the sci-fi and horror writer Richard Matheson, who wrote many episodes of The Twilight Zone.[6] Matheson was also originally the character who was to recite the episode's opening monologue. Darren McGavin, of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, was the casting directors' first choice for the role of Senator Matheson. McGavin was later sought out to be Mulder's dad, but he again eluded the staff. In the end, McGavin finally agreed to appear on the show during its fifth season; he was first introduced in the episode "Travelers" as Arthur Dales, the agent who originally founded the X-Files.[7] The role of Matheson eventually went to Raymond J. Barry.[1] The episode marks the first visualization of Samantha's abduction by aliens. Although there are discrepancies between the depiction of her abduction in this episode and Mulder's description of it in both "Pilot" and "Conduit", Carter has attributed this to the unreliability of Mulder's hypnosis-induced memories.[7]
Filming[edit]
The Puerto Rican scenes were filmed at the Seymour Demonstration Forest in Northern Vancouver, while the Plaza of Nations doubled for the Miami Airport.[8] Gillian Anderson revealed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that when she and Duchovny were filming the final scene escaping the Blue Berets, the actors portraying the soldiers had to pretend to shoot their guns with their own sound effects, and that "it was very hard to focus without breaking out laughing."[9] At the airport, Scully is pretending to read the fictional Miami Post Tribune but closer inspection reveals that she is actually reading the "Facts And Arguments" page from Canada's national paper, The Globe and Mail. The flight manifest that Scully is scanning in search for Mulder is a list of X-Files fans.[7]
Extraterrestrials make their first appearance in this episode, as Carter thought it would be a good moment to reveal them.[6][10] The image of the alien was stretched in post-production to make it look taller and skinnier.[11] The writers for the episode researched various abductee reports and conspiracy theories in order to get the right feel for the episode and make the aliens appear realistic and not "fanciful".[4] The episode makes several mentions to the Voyager program and the Voyager Golden Record; Mulder and Senator Matheson listen to Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement while in the latter's office. The concerto's first movement is the first piece of music on the Voyager record.[12] In addition, the episode relies heavily on mentions of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program, the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Morgan later explained, “I always wanted to do something with the SETI background. Hope that kids at school check out SETI, because it was factual as to what exists.”[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Little Green Men" premiered on the Fox network on September 16, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on August 28, 1995.[2] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.3, with a 19 share, meaning that roughly 10.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 19 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9.8 million households.[13] In addition, the episode won its time period among the "advertiser-friendly" 18-49 age ratings group.[14]
The episode garnered largely positive praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly wrote that the episode "Powerfully depicts both Mulder's gnawing sense of defeat and his bond with Scully, strangely growing stronger with separation" before concluding that the episode was "fairly standard."[15] The site ultimately gave the episode a B.[15] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club positively compared and contrasted the episode to the cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You? writing that, "I used to be a huge "Scooby Doo" fan. [...] Of course, none of [the villains] were really monsters. [...] The X-Files exploited a simple truth: we all want to believe. We might be afraid of what's lurking in the dark, but isn't there always a bit of wishing inside that fear? A hope that what we think we know isn't everything there is to know. That just once it might be nice to reach for a zipper and instead find nothing but cool scales."[16] Handlen ultimately called the episode "Essential."[16] Reviewer Dan Barrett from the 400 Club wrote that "The X-Files is off to a stonking good start with this season 2 opening."[17] Bob Curtright, writing for the Los Angeles Daily News, called the episode "an engrossing chiller about potential contact from outer space."[18] He compared the episode positively to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and noted that the episode was "both scary and wondrous" and "offer[ed] no pat answers that might tend to blow the credibility."[18] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode five stars out of five, writing that the episode was not "what the fans were expecting, and its reputation isn't great. But I think this clever and claustrophobic little take, which does so much not only to refresh the show but to analyze what it's actually about, is one of the very best."[19]
See also[edit]
List of unmade episodes of The X-Files
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, pp.161–163
2.^ Jump up to: a b David Nutter, et al (1994–1995) (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (December 1995). "X-Writers". Starlog. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 55
5.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp. 90–92
6.^ Jump up to: a b Chris Carter (1996). A Private Conversation with Chris Carter, Creator of The X-Files: "Little Green Men" (VHS). Little Green Men/The Host: Fox.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, pp. 162–163
8.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer, pp. 55
9.Jump up ^ "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". 22 May 1995. NBC.
10.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (1994–1995). Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Little Green Men" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox.
11.Jump up ^ The Truth About Season Two (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. 1994–1995.
12.Jump up ^ "Little Green Men". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 11. 16 September 1994. Fox.
13.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
14.Jump up ^ Mendoza, Manuel (22 September 1994). "Fans Don't Surf Past These Favorites". The Dallas Morning News.
15.^ Jump up to: a b "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (15 August 2008). "Little Green Men/The Host/Blood". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
17.Jump up ^ Barrett, Dan (30 November 2011). "THE X-FILES S02E01 / Little Green Men". The 400 Club. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Curtright, Bob (16 September 1994). "'X-Files' Back for Second Season Tonight". Los Angeles Daily News (Knight Ridder).
19.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, p. 33
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Todd Pittson (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-72-5.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 0-9759446-9-X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Little Green Men" on TheXFiles.com
"Little Green Men" at the Internet Movie Database
"Little Green Men" at TV.com

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The Host (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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"The Host"
The X-Files episode
A white creature resembling a humanoid worm is seen from the shoulders up.
The Flukeman as seen in the final stages of the episode. Many critics praised the creepiness of the villain.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 2
Directed by
Daniel Sackheim
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
2X02
Original air date
September 23, 1994
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Darin Morgan as The Flukeman
Matthew Bennett as First Workman (Craig)
Freddy Andreiuci as Detective Norman
Don MacKay as Charlie
Marc Bauer as Agent Brisentine
Gabrielle Rose as Dr. Zenzois
Ron Sauve as Foreman
Dmitri Boudrine as Russian Engineer
Raoul Ganee as Dmitri
William MacDonald as Federal Marshal
Steven Williams as X (uncredited)[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Little Green Men" Next →
 "Blood"

List of The X-Files episodes
"The Host" is the second episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 23, 1994. It was written by Chris Carter, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured guest appearances by Darin Morgan. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Host" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.8, being watched by 9.3 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews, praising the creepiness of the villain.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a body found in sewage after being reassigned to different departments. Their inquiry results in the discovery of a bizarre fluke-like man—the product of the Chernobyl disaster—that soon goes on a rampage in the sewers of New Jersey.
Series creator Chris Carter claimed to have been inspired to write the episode base on three incidents; his dog having worms, his readings about Chernobyl, and the extinction of species during the 1990s. The Flukeman character was portrayed by Darin Morgan, brother of executive producer Glen Morgan. Darin Morgan would become a staff writer for the show later in the second season. In addition, "The Host" also introduced the character of X, the successor of Mulder's former Syndicate informant Deep Throat.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting and filming
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
On a Russian freighter off the coast of New Jersey, a crewman trying to fix the ship's toilets is pulled into the septic system. His half-eaten body appears in the sewers of Newark days later. Fox Mulder is assigned the case and visits with a Detective Norman in Newark, being shown the still-unidentified body. Mulder angrily confronts Assistant Director Walter Skinner, feeling he has been given the seeming "wild goose chase" as a form of punishment.
That night, Mulder talks to Dana Scully, telling her that he's thinking of leaving the FBI. He shoots down Scully's idea that he request a transfer to Quantico, believing the FBI doesn't want them working together. Scully performs the autopsy on the crewman's body, finding a Russian language tattoo on his arm and a flukeworm inside his back.
In Newark, a city worker is pulled underwater in the sewers but is rescued by his co-worker. He believes he was attacked by a python. He decides to visit a doctor (with Mulder observing) and complains of a weird taste in his mouth. An abnormal four pointed wound appears on his back. Scully shows Mulder the flukeworm she found, whose mouth, though much smaller, matches the wound on the city worker's back. Mulder receives a call from a mysterious man telling him he has a friend at the FBI. That night, the city worker coughs up a flukeworm in his shower and dies. Mulder visits a sewage processing plant and finds a large humanoid with a fluke-like mouth.
At Quantico, someone slips a newspaper article under Scully's door enabling her to identify the original body as a crew member on a Russian ship. Mulder and Scully meet at the processing plant and they look at the strange, fluke-like man. Skinner wants to prosecute the creature and subject it to a psychiatric evaluation, which Mulder thinks would be difficult. Skinner tells Mulder of Craig's death and admits that this would have been an X-File had they still been open.
That night workers put the flukeman into a U.S. Marshal's van, but it kills the driver and escapes to a local campsite. The flukeman hides in a portable toilet and is pulled into a truck the next day when the toilet is drained. Mulder receives another phone call from the mysterious caller. When he questions Scully about it, she denies any involvement. The flukeman is brought back to the processing plant. Scully believes that the flukeworm she found in the body is a larva, attempting to reproduce. One of the men at the processing plant is pulled underwater by the flukeman while investigating a storm drain overflow. Mulder heads in and saves him, apparently killing the flukeman by closing a sewer grate on it, slicing it in half. Scully concludes her investigation, thinking that the creature was brought to the U.S. by a Russian freighter that was hauling salvage from Chernobyl, and that the creature was created in a 'soup' of radioactive sewage. Elsewhere, the flukeman's remains open its eyes.[1][2]
Production[edit]

Chris Carter in a suit.

 Series creator Chris Carter was the writer for "The Host".
Writing[edit]
Chris Carter claimed to have been inspired to write the episode after his dog had worms, a situation he called "very disgusting".[3][4] He also had been reading about Chernobyl and the extinction of species at the time and blended all three of these concepts when writing the episode.[3] Carter described his mood while writing the episode, "I was in a funk when I wrote that episode. We were coming back from hiatus and I was trying to find something more interesting than just the Flukeman. I was irritated at the time and I brought my irritation to Mulder's attitude. Basically, he had become fed up with the FBI. They had given him what he felt was a low assignment, which was sending him into the city after a dead body. But lo and behold, he finds that this is a case that for all intents and purposes is an X-File. It's been given to him by a man he's never looked at as an ally, Skinner. So it's an interesting establishing of a relationship between them."[5] Producer J.P. Finn described the episode as a departure from Carter's usual work as it did not deal with an alien subject matter.[5]
Casting and filming[edit]
The Flukeman—also known affectionately as "Flukey" by the cast and crew—was portrayed by Darin Morgan, brother of executive producer Glen Morgan.[4] He would become a staff writer for the show later in the second season.[6] The Flukeman suit used by Morgan, which included flipper-like feet, yellow contact lenses, and fake teeth,[7] took six hours to put on; this process was eventually sped up.[6] Morgan wore the suit as much as 20 consecutive hours during shooting.[6] As a result, he was forced to go to the bathroom while still wearing the suit.[6] Morgan was rarely on set without being in full costume, and recalled that when he met up with David Duchovny again upon joining the series' writing staff, the actor had no idea who he was, despite having enjoyed an amiable relationship with the costumed Morgan previously.[8] The suit dissolved in water, forcing special effects artist Toby Lindala to reconstruct the suit each day.[9] Because the suit did not permit Morgan to breathe through his nose, he was unable to eat while wearing it.[9] Carter described the character as "the embodiment of everyone's sense of vulnerability, the idea of something that exists in the underworld of the sewer system and might in fact come to bite you in the least elegant of places". The original intention was showing even less of the Flukeman, but some angles and lighting ended up revealing more of the creature's design. Carter still felt it helped to "get more creepy", as the Flukeman is not shown fully until the final scenes.[10]
The sewer processing plant scenes were shot at Iona Island Sewage Treatment plant in Canada.[9] The sewer scenes were shot in a pit on the show's stage,[4][5] with Carter using his father, who worked as a construction worker, as a consultant on how to build it.[4][10] As no ship was available for filming the opening scenes in the Russian freighter, a hydro sub station in Surrey, British Columbia was adapted into an engine room.[11] Carter had to fight with Fox's broadcast standards department over the scene where a victim vomits up a flukeworm while in the shower.[6] James Wong described it as the grossest piece of television ever put on the air.[5] As Gillian Anderson's pregnancy was getting more apparent, the producers started to shoot Scully's scenes in a way it would be disguised, with "very fancy trick angles, trench coats, and scenes where she is seated rather than standing".[10]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Host" premiered on the Fox network on September 23, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on September 4, 1995.[12] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.8, with a 17 share, meaning that roughly 9.8 percent of all television-equipped households, and 17 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9.3 million households.[13]
The episode received glowing praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave "The Host" a rare A+, noting that it was "a refreshing instance of a fully and satisfactorily resolved episode — like a perfect meal, although you definitely don't want to eat during this one."[14] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club described the episode as "the first really, really icky X-Files", and while considering redundant the "circular" nature of the plot, with the creature coming back to the sewers after escaping, he felt that "The Host" "holds up because of the Flukeman's irreconcilable ugliness, and because it continues down the path that "Little Green Men" started on".[15] On a more negative view, Critical Myth's John Keegan gave the episode 6/10, considering that "as fun as this episode can be, there are some places were it just doesn’t quite add up", criticizing writing elements such as the lack of resolution, the explanation for the Flukeman's origins, and the "heavy-handed" introduction of X.[16] A writer from the Vancouver Sun listed "The Host" as one of the best stand alone episodes of the show, saying that it broke the "B-movie fun at best" quality of most X-Files standalone episodes, saying that "thanks to its cinema-grade made-up effects, claustrophobic sets and chilling subject matter, this Chris Carter-penned episode not only took the show to new heights of horror and suspense, it offered a fresh alternative on network television".[17] "The Host" was later picked for the 2008 DVD The X-Files: Revelations, with eight episodes Chris Carter considered "essential grounding" for the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe.[18] The plot for the episode was also adapted as a novel for young adults in 1997 by Les Martin.[19][20]
The Flukeman character has also attracted positive criticism. Writing for Den of Geek, John Moore listed the Flukeman as one of his "Top 10 X-Files Baddies", writing that "the idea of a man size biter running around drains in a city near me – looking like a giant, fanged maggot - was always likely to induce a goodly amount of cheek-shifting on the sofa. "[21] The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen described the flukeman as a "beyond icky" monster that "just looks wrong", adding that "the plain fact of its existence is horrifying enough that it doesn't need to do more".[15] Connie Ogle from PopMatters ranked the character among the "best" monster-of-the-week, describing it as "something of a poster boy for XF villains," and considering that "never has toxic waste seemed so dangerous as when the big slimy white fellow slithers onto the screen and starts attacking people in the sewers."[22]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp.164–165
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.109–111
3.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles p.55
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Chris Carter (1996). A Private Conversation with Chris Carter, Creator of The X-Files: "The Host" (VHS). Little Green Men/The Host: Fox.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Edwards, pp.92–94
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lowry, p.165
7.Jump up ^ Behind the Truth: Flukeman (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
8.Jump up ^ Edwards, p.94
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Lovece, 111–112
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Chris Carter. Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "The Host" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
11.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer, pp. 56-7
12.Jump up ^ David Nutter, Daniel Sackheim, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
13.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
14.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (August 15, 2008). "Little Green Men/The Host/Blood". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
16.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "The Host". Critical Myth. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
17.Jump up ^ "A Look Back on Some of the Best Stand-Alone Episodes From The X-Files Series", The Vancouver Sun (CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.), July 25, 2008, retrieved August 25, 2010
18.Jump up ^ "PREPARE TO BELIEVE AGAIN THE X-FILES REVELATIONS" (Press release). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. April 11, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
19.Jump up ^ Martin, Les (1997). The Host: A Novel. HarperCollins. ISBN 0064471810.
20.Jump up ^ "The Host: a novel (Book, 1997)". WorldCat. Retrieved August 10, 2011. "A novelization by Les Martin ; based on the television series "The X Files" created by Chris Carter ; based on the teleplay written by Chris Carter."
21.Jump up ^ Moore, John (July 20, 2008). "The Top 10 X-Files Baddies". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
22.Jump up ^ Ogle, Connie (July 28, 2008), "The X-Factor: A Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters", PopMatters (PopMatters Media), retrieved August 25, 2010
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"The Host" on TheXFiles.com
"The Host" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Host" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
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The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

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1994 television episodes



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Blood (The X-Files)

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"Blood"
The X-Files episode
Blood-xfiles-episode.jpg
Violent messages appear on electronic devices. Series creator Chris Carter had been wanting to create an episode that featured a story revolving around digital readouts.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 3
Directed by
David Nutter
Teleplay by
Glen Morgan
James Wong
Story by
Darin Morgan
Production code
2X03
Original air date
September 30, 1994
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

William Sanderson as Edward Funsch
John Cygan as Sheriff Spencer
George Touliatos as Larry Winter
Ashlyn Gere as Bonnie McRoberts
Andre Daniels as Harry McNally
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
John Harris as Taber
Gerry Rosseau as Mechanic
William MacKenzie as Bus Driver
Diana Steven as Mrs. Adams
David Fredericks as Security Guard
Kathleen Duborg as Mother
B.J. Harrison as Clerk[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "The Host" Next →
 "Sleepless"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Blood" is the third episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 1994. It was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong and was directed by David Nutter. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Blood" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.8, being watched by 8.7 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of killings in Franklin, Pennsylvania. All the suspects appear compelled to murder after seeing violent messages on electronic devices.
"Blood" was inspired by writer Glen Morgan's own hematophobia as well as controversy over malathion spraying in Southern California. The episode marked the second appearance of the Lone Gunmen in the series, as well as a guest appearance by pornographic actress Ashlyn Gere.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Franklin, Pennsylvania, postal worker Edward Funsch (William Sanderson) is informed that he will be fired at the end of the week due to budget cuts. Afterwards, Funsch sees the words "Kill 'Em All" on his machine's digital display. At Franklin's civic center, a middle-aged man in a crowded elevator sees "No Air" displayed on the elevator's LED display, and is the only one who can see the message. Sweating and obviously claustrophobic, he again glances at the LED display. This time it flashes the words "Can't Breathe" and then "Kill 'Em All."
Agent Fox Mulder arrives at the civic center after what looks like a massacre; bodies lie on the sidewalk and in the foyer. Sheriff Spencer (John Cygan) explains that the suspect murdered four people from the elevator with his bare hands. His rampage ended when he was shot by a security guard. Spencer notes that seven other individuals have murdered twenty-two people in Franklin in the past six months. Mulder discovers that the LED display in the elevator has been damaged, and that the dead suspect has a green residue on his fingertips.
At the FBI Academy, Dana Scully reads Mulder's initial report. The only connection between the murders that he can see is that the suspects all destroyed an electronic device during the killings. Meanwhile, Bonnie McRoberts, another Franklin resident, drops by a repair shop to pick up her car, where a message on an engine diagnostic display warns her that the mechanic is going to rape her. She impulsively kills him with an oil can spout. When Mulder and Spencer question her the next morning, her kitchen microwave instructs her to kill them. When she grabs a knife and attacks Mulder, she is shot and killed by Spencer.
Scully performs an autopsy on McRoberts' body and discovers signs of phobia including high levels of adrenaline and the same substance found on the elevator killer. She hypothesizes that the substance, when combined with other neurochemicals, produces an LSD-like reaction. While Mulder and Scully build a case, Funsch becomes more psychotic, continuing to see violent messages on electronic gadgets. Blood is associated in some way with each incident; a volunteer asks Ed to donate blood at a department store and seconds later he sees violent images flash across a sales display of TV sets, followed by a message to buy a gun from the sporting goods department.
Late at night, while investigating an orchard, Mulder is sprayed by a crop-dusting helicopter and ends up in the hospital. There, Mulder sees the message "Do It Now" on a TV and realizes that when people exposed to the pesticide, which contains a chemical called LSDM designed to provoke fear in insects, see these subliminal messages, their phobias are exacerbated enough to cause them to kill. Eventually, after being confronted, the city councilman agrees to stop the spraying and blood test the community under the guise of a cholesterol study. Mulder and Scully, reading that Funsch has not been tested yet, arrive at his house to find it strewn with smashed electronic devices. Mulder deduces that blood is Ed's phobia and that he has seen the subliminal messages, and an empty rifle case signals that Funsch is going to act on his paranoia. Funsch positions himself at the top of a clock tower overlooking a blood drive and begins shooting randomly. Mulder climbs up to Funsch and overpowers him; Funsch is taken away on a stretcher. Mulder makes a call to Scully and sees the message "All done. Bye Bye!" on his cell phone display. Scully calls out to Mulder but he is speechless.[1]
Production[edit]

 

 "Blood" contained a cameo appearance from porn actress Ashlyn Gere.
The genesis for "Blood" was Glen Morgan's own hematophobia,[2] combined with the controversy over malathion spraying in Southern California and a note between writers Morgan and Wong that simply read "Postal Workers".[3] In addition, series creator Chris Carter had been wanting an episode of The X-Files to feature a story revolving around digital readouts.[4] Morgan and Wong decided to use the digital readout idea, crafting a script that turned "regular things," like fax machines and cell phones, into something "scary."[4] The 1966 shooting massacre at the University of Texas was the inspiration for the story's climax,[2] which was partially filmed at the University of British Columbia[4] A replica of its clock tower's interior was used for several key scenes, however, because firearms were not allowed on location at the actual university.[5] Although he was not credited, this episode marks the first time that Darin Morgan, Glen's brother, helped with a script of The X-Files. Darin was asked to help flesh out the episode's story. He would later contribute the second season episode "Humbug".[6]
The episode marks the second appearance of The Lone Gunmen, a trio of conspiracy theorists consisting of John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Richard Langly (Dean Haglund) and Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood). The characters first appeared in the first season episode "E.B.E." to make Mulder appear more credible.[7] Initially only intended to appear in that episode, they were brought back as recurring characters starting with "Blood" due to their popularity on the Internet.[8] The episode also has a guest appearance by pornographic actress Ashlyn Gere. Gere plays Bonnie McRoberts, the woman driven to attack Mulder after seeing a subliminal message on her microwave.[2] Glen Morgan joked that The X-Files was so cutting edge that they used an adult film star who was still working in the industry—an allusion to an NYPD Blue episode that guest starred retired adult film actress Ginger Lynn.[2]
Reception[edit]
"Blood" premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on September 11, 1995.[9] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.1, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[10] It was viewed by 8.7 million households.[10]
The episode received positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B+, considering that despite the "convoluted plot" the episode "pays off in white-knuckle tension."[11] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club labeled the episode as a "good" stand-alone story. He described it as "a memorable episode, due in no small part to its humor", praising the "simultaneously absurd and frightening" story with scenes that make the viewer "snicker even as you shudder".[12] In addition, Handlen praised and William Sanderson's performance, as well as the ending, calling it "the punchline [...] of Mulder's deepest fears, a group [The Syndicate] so secret that you never be sure they exist at all".[12] Starpulse named the episode the tenth best of the series, defining it as "very creepy" and what turned The X-Files "from a mere creepfest to a show that offered real psychological thrills".[13] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three stars out of five. The two wrote positively of the episode's flourishes, noting "minute by minute, there is tons to enjoy."[14] However, Shearman and Pearson argue that the premise is "disjointed and not a little frustrating" due to the lack of overall coherence and narrative.[14]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 166–167
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d Hurwitz, p. 57
3.Jump up ^ Delasara, p. 20
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, p. 168
5.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer pp. 58–59
6.Jump up ^ Kirby, Jonathan (October 29, 2007). "Not Just a Fluke: How Darin Morgan Saved The X-Files". PopMatters. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
7.Jump up ^ Hurwitz p. 49
8.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp. 139–140
9.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
11.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (August 15, 2008). "Little Green Men/The Host/Blood". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
13.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew (July 25, 2008). "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 34
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Chris Knowles (2008). The Complete X-Files. San Rafael, California: Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-933784-72-4.
Delasara, Jan (2000). Poplit, Popcult, and the X-Files: Critical Exploration. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-0789-7.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 0-9759446-9-X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Blood" on TheXFiles.com
"Blood" at the Internet Movie Database
"Blood" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1994 television episodes


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Sleepless (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

"Sleepless"
The X-Files episode
SleeplessXFiles.jpg
Fox Mulder meets his new partner, Alex Krycek.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 4
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Howard Gordon
Production code
2X04
Original air date
October 7, 1994
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Steven Williams as "X"
William B. Davis as "Cigarette Smoking Man"
Tony Todd as Augustus Cole
Jonathan Gries as Salvatore Matola
Mitch Kosterman as Detective Horton
Don Thompson as Henry Willig
David Adams as Dr. Francis Girardi
Claude de Martino as Dr. Saul Grissom
Michael Puttonen as Dr. Pilsson
Anna Hagan as Dr. Charyn
Paul Bittante as Team Leader[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Blood" Next →
 "Duane Barry"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Sleepless" is the 4th episode of the second season and 28th overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on October 7, 1994 on Fox. The episode was written by supervising producer Howard Gordon, and directed by Rob Bowman. "Sleepless" earned a Nielsen rating of 8.6 and was viewed by 8.2 million households. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder is assigned a new partner, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). The two investigate a case where doctors and soldiers who were part of a sleep deprivation experiment are being killed off.
"Sleepless" featured what would become the recurring character of Alex Krycek, portrayed by Nicholas Lea. Krycek would progress from Mulder's partner to one of his enemies. Howard Gordon, the episode's writer, was inspired by various cases of insomnia. During the first season, Chris Carter had written a similar themed episode, but stopped working on it when he became "unhappy" with the result.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In New York City, Dr. Saul Grissom finds a fire outside his apartment. When firefighters arrive, they find no fire or any related damage, but discover Grissom's lifeless body.
Mulder anonymously receives a tape cassette of Grissom's 9-1-1 call. He tries to take the case, only to learn that another FBI agent, Alex Krycek, has opened it first. Deciding to leave Krycek out of the loop, Mulder calls Scully (Gillian Anderson) and asks her to conduct Grissom's autopsy. Mulder then heads to Grissom's clinic in Stamford, Connecticut, where is confronted by an angered Krycek. The two travel back to Quantico to see Scully, who says that Grissom's body showed no signs of a fire, but yet seems to have biologically believed it was burning.
Meanwhile, in a Brooklyn apartment, Vietnam veteran Henry Willig is approached by a fellow ex-Marine, Augustus Cole. Suddenly a group of wounded Vietnamese soldiers appear and gun him down. Examining his corpse, Mulder and Krycek find a scar on his neck and realize he was in the Special Forces stationed in Vietnam in 1970, and one of only two survivors, the other being Cole. They head to the VHA hospital in New Jersey where they discover that Cole was discharged, despite the fact that his doctor does not remember doing so.
Mulder meets the mysterious "X", who gives him information on a secret military project that Grissom performed where he eradicated the need for sleep through lobotomy. X provides him with the name of Salvatore Matola, a squad member who was mistakenly reported as killed in action. A man matching Cole's description robs a drug store and the SWAT team members coming after him shoot each other. Mulder believes that Cole's years of sleeplessness have provided him with telekinetic abilities. Mulder and Krycek meet with Matola soon afterwards, who says that he has not slept in decades due to the experiment. He reveals that there was another doctor who was part of the squad, Dr. Girardi.
Mulder and Krycek head to the subway station, where Dr. Girardi is expected to arrive for Grissom's funeral. Mulder sees Cole there, and Cole seems to shoot Girardi, but this event is actually all in Mulder's head. In reality, Cole has captured Girardi and holds him hostage, about to show him a similar fate as his other victims. By searching surveillance footage, they track his location and find Girardi wounded. Mulder finds Cole, who is ready to kill himself. Krycek, thinking Cole is holding a gun instead of the Bible he is actually holding, shoots him. Mulder and Scully find all of their files on the case missing. Krycek reports to the Smoking Man and others, telling them Scully is a bigger problem than they anticipated.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode was written by Howard Gordon.
Writer Howard Gordon was initially inspired to write this episode based on insomnia he was suffering at the time.[1] Gordon, who wrote many episodes with Alex Gansa in season one made his solo writing debut with this episode.[1] Originally Chris Carter had written a script for the first season, which shared the same theme as "Sleepless."[3] The original conceit for Carter's episode was "What makes the perfect soldier?"[3] He also liked the twist on sleep, noting that "sleep is where demons are released in our dreams."[3] He explained that the characters in "Sleepless" were haunted by their memories in real life because they were not able to sleep.[3] Carter sees this episode as one of his favorites.[3]
This episode marked the first appearance of Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek. Carter had much interest in Krycek, because he replaced Dana Scully as Mulder's new partner.[3] Lea had previously appeared as a different character in the first season episode, "Gender Bender."[4] Bowman, who had directed "Gender Bender," thought that Lea "was a [...] strong choice for a fresh-out-of-Quantico FBI agent."[4] When creating him, the writers always had in mind that he would be a recurring character, while they agreed if the character did not work they would kill him off.[4]
"Sleepless" marked the first on screen appearance of Steven Williams as Fox Mulder's new source, "X."[1] The character was originally intended to be a woman, and an actress was cast in the role, but after shooting her first scene the role was recast with Williams, an actor who had previous experience with writers Glen Morgan and James Wong.[1][5] Natalija Nogulich, the actor who originally earned the role, was replaced because the writing staff felt she was not able to create the "right chemistry" between her co-stars.[3]
Reception[edit]
"Sleepless" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.6, with a 15 share.[6] It was viewed by 8.2 million households in the United States alone.[7] Stephen Mark was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995 in the category "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series — Single Camera Production", but did not win.[8]
Chris Carter enjoyed the episode, saying "I really love that show. It's a great idea, well executed. We had a good cast; Tony Todd was wonderful"[9] and saying it was "beautifully directed by Rob Bowman.[3] Entertainment Weekly rated "Sleepless" with a B+, considering that Tony Todd's performance "elevates a just-good story into a great one."[10] John Keegan Critical Myth gave the episode 7 out of 10, saying it was best remembered for its introduction of Alex Krycek.[11] The web site further stated that the episode was decent and was a "fairly standard exploration" for the early season episodes.[11] Dave Golder from SFX named the episode one of the "20 TV Sci-Fi Gamechangers" due to its introduction of Kreycek.[12]
Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five.[13] The two noted that Gordon was able to make "the cliche of Vietnam war guilt" feel "very personal and even sorrowful."[13] However, Shearman and Pearson noted that the revelation of Krycek as an enemy was "the biggest shame" in the episode.[13] Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club wrote that, while the episode is "your standard MotW riff", it is important because it features the on-screen introduction of both Krycek and X.[14]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Lowry, pp. 169–170
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 114–116
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Carter, Chris (1994). Chris Carter talks about 12 of his favorite episodes from Season Two: Sleepless (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Carter, Chris; Duchovny, David; Spotnitz, Frank; Wong, James; Haglund, Dean (2002). The Truth Behind Season 2 (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
5.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 116
6.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
7.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
8.Jump up ^ "Advanced Primetime Awards Search". Academy of Television Arts & Science. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
9.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 98
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Keegan, John. "Sleepless". Critical Myth. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
12.Jump up ^ Golder, Dave (December 10, 2010). "20 TV Sci-Fi Gamechangers – The X-Files – Agent Evil". SFX (Future Publishing). Retrieved July 27, 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, pp. 34–35
14.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2008). "'Sleepless/Duane Barry/Ascension' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The X Files Season 2
"Sleepless" on TheXFiles.com
"Sleepless" at the Internet Movie Database
"Sleepless" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
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 ­"Anasazi"
 
 
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Duane Barry

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Jump to: navigation, search

"Duane Barry"
The X-Files episode
DuaneBarryXFiles.jpg
Duane Barry is abducted by aliens.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 5
Directed by
Chris Carter
Written by
Chris Carter
Cinematography by
John Bartley
Production code
2X05
Original air date
October 14, 1994
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Steve Railsback as Duane Barry
CCH Pounder as Agent Lucy Kazdin
Nicholas Lea as Agent Alex Krycek
Frank C. Turner as Dr. Hakkie
Stephen E. Miller as Tactical Commander
Fred Henderson as Agent Rich
Barbara Pollard as Gwen
Sarah Strange as Kimberly
Robert Lewis as Officer
John Sampson as Marksman #1
Michael Dobson as Marksman #2
Tosca Baggoo as Clerk
Tim Dixon as Bob
Prince Maryland as Agent Janus[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Sleepless" Next →
 "Ascension"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Duane Barry" is the fifth episode of the second season and 29th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired in the United States and Canada on October 14, 1994, on Fox. The episode was written and directed by executive producer Chris Carter. "Duane Barry" received a Nielsen rating of 8.9 and was viewed by 8.5 million households. The episode received largely positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder becomes involved in a hostage situation with an escaped psychiatric patient, named Duane Barry (Steve Railsback), who claims to be terrified of frequent alien abductions. "Duane Barry" was a storyline milestone for the series, marking the events which would lead up to Scully being abducted by aliens, which in turn would lead to her developing cancer in the fourth and fifth seasons. It would also lead to the birth of her son, William, at the end of the eighth season.
The episode marked Chris Carter's debut as a director. While never directing before, he would direct such episodes as "The List", "The Post-Modern Prometheus", "Triangle", and "Improbable", as well as the second feature film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. The storyline was inspired by the true story of Phineas Gage, a 19th-century medical case.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Conception
2.2 Filming
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In 1985, at his home in Pulaski, Virginia, Duane Barry (Steve Railsback) is abducted by aliens. Eight years later, Barry has become a violent patient in a mental institution, refusing to take his medication and insisting that the aliens are coming back for him. He attacks a security guard and steals his gun, taking head psychiatrist Dr. Hakkie hostage before escaping. Barry seeks to return to his original abduction site with Dr. Hakkie, in the hopes that the aliens will take the doctor instead when they return. But since he can't remember where the abduction site is located, Barry heads to a travel agency in Richmond and holds the three clerks hostage along with Dr. Hakkie.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) are summoned to the ensuing hostage situation by Agent Lucy Kazdin (CCH Pounder), since Barry insists that he is an alien abductee. Mulder contacts Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) for assistance, asking her to look into Barry's history. Mulder acts as a hostage negotiator, calling Barry in order to earn his trust so that the standoff may be peacefully resolved. Barry quickly figures this out, causing Mulder to learn that he is a former FBI agent. A power outage occurs, frightening Barry and causing him to fire his gun, hitting one of the hostages. Mulder heads inside the travel agency with a paramedic. Barry releases the wounded hostage in exchange for Mulder, who is instructed to get Barry near the agency's front door so that snipers can fire on him.
Scully arrives and reveals that Barry's frontal cortex was damaged when he was shot in the head in 1982; she thinks this injury has made Barry a psychopathic pathological liar. Mulder talks to Barry, who claims that the aliens performed painful tests on him and put tracking devices in his body. Mulder—against Agent Kazdin's orders—tells Barry that he believes his story, convincing him to let two more hostages go. However, when Mulder questions whether Barry is lying, he becomes enraged. Mulder tricks Barry into approaching the front door where Barry is shot by a sniper.
The next day, Mulder visits Barry in the hospital. Agent Kazdin appears, revealing that metal implants were found in Barry's body and that tiny holes were found in his teeth, in the same manner he had described. Mulder gives one of the implants to Scully, who has it reviewed by a ballistics expert; they find a microscopic barcode imprinted on it. Later, at a supermarket, Scully swipes the implant across a checkout scanner, causing the machine to malfunction while displaying a strange serial number. At her house, Scully leaves a message on Mulder's voicemail, suggesting that Barry had been "catalogued" by the implant. But just then, Barry—having just escaped from the hospital—breaks in through Scully's window and kidnaps her.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 Part of the episode was inspired by the true story of Phineas Gage.
Conception[edit]
Originally planned to be a standalone mythology episode, but the news of Gillian Anderson's pregnancy led to the creation of a two-part episode, since the production crew knew they needed Anderson to disappear until she had given birth. The follow-up episode was written by Paul Brown, and was titled "Ascension".[3]
Much of Carter's inspiration for the episode came from reports of Phineas Gage, who underwent a personality change after a blasting accident drove an iron rod completely through his head[3] (though the idea that Gage became violent, immoral, or a pathological liar, as Scully describes him, is without foundation).[4][5] The aliens' use of a dental drill on Barry was inspired by a neighbour of Carter who said that he was abducted and that the aliens drilled holes into his teeth - which a dentist analyzed and said could not be done with any equipment he knew.[6]
The aliens seen at the start of the episode were portrayed by children. Carter wrote specifically the part of Duane Barry with Steve Railsback in mind, saying "I've resisted casting the marquee names only because it takes you out of the show; makes the show less believable. But there are certain actors who just call out for the part."[7] Originally, Railsback character was named Duane Garry, but it was changed to Duane Barry after learning that a person within the Federal Bureau of Investigation had the same name. Carter has mentioned that he disliked the new name at first, but got used to it over time.[3]
Filming[edit]


"It was actually a good test of my skills. I kept comunicating with directors for 30 episodes, telling them what I wanted. Now it was really a chance to show them what I wanted."
—Chris Carter on his directorial debut[6]
This episode marked Chris Carter's directing debut. Being the first he had ever directed, David Nutter from the directing staff helped, tipped, and showed him what to do. With Nutter's help, Carter learned how to block entire scenes. When commenting on his experience, Carter told that he sometimes followed Nutter's advice down to "the letter". When directing the episode, Carter wanted to create a different feel for the episode, by focusing more on the performances given by the actors, than the mechanical set designs.[3] Carter declared that directing he learned about "things you take for granted as a writer and producer", that lead to "compromises" for things Carter could not do on-screen,[6] and compared the episode to a stage play as most is set in a single place, the travel agency.[8]
During the filming of Duane Barry's abduction, they had a "film run out" which, according to Carter, gave the scene a "very eerie effect".[3] Shooting that scene was a "real test" according to Carter.[9] Carter was pleased with the outcome, saying he was able to show viewers what he wanted out of The X-Files, which he felt he was "very successful" at.[10] The visual effects' crew had to hang a "giant light" over the house where Barry was being abducted. It took the course of 45 minutes to shoot the scene. According to Carter, much teamwork was required to film that particular scene. As Carter puts it, he was actually forced to stay "behind the camera" to see the end results.[3] For the experiments, Railsback was put in a plaster model of his back as he was lifted by a hydraulic device, and had water squirted on his mouth for the dental drill.[11]
Reception[edit]
"Duane Barry" premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 1994.[12] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.9, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 8.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[13] It was viewed by 8.5 million households.[13] CCH Pounder and Chris Carter both earned Primetime Emmy nominations for "excellence in primetime television" for their work in this episode. Pounder was nominated in the category "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series", while Carter was nominated in the category "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series".[14] The episode was also nominated in the categories "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series - Single Camera Production".[15] Director of Photography John Bartley also received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement Award for Episodic Television by the American Society of Cinematographers.[9]
The episode was well received by the cast and crew of The X-Files. Producer J.P. Finn praised the episode and Carter's directing, saying "We were all pretty nervous doing that one, because Chris Carter was a new director. It turned out that he directed very...It was a great script, a great cast, and he ended up directing a home run. One of the charming things about it was the end, where we had these alien heads placed on young children. It was so endearing to see them on the set between takes, playing with Chris and everyone".[16] Actor David Duchovny said of Carter's directing "Chris came in meticulously prepared, which is his nature. I think his first episode was great".[17] Carter himself described it as one of his favorite episodes because "it was a chance for me to sort of do it all, and it came out in ways better than I imagined it would".[6]
The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. Matt Roush from USA Today said Steve Railsback's performance as Duane Barry rivaled that of his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television miniseries Helter Skelter.[18] An unnamed reviewer from the Contra Costa Times called the episode "seminal".[19] San Jose Mercury News said Railsback gave what was to be the "ultimate X-Files performance" in 2002 after the show had been cancelled.[20] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a glowing review and rated it five stars out of five.[21] The two called it "a career best for Chris Carter" and praised his writing and directing, noting that both were "powerfully" and "passionately" done. Shearman and Pearson also applauded the episode's simplicity, citing it as the factor that made the entry stand out from others.[21] Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club named it an "essential" episode of The X-Files. Furthermore, he praised Railsback's performance, writing that "there's a sweaty intensity to his best performances that makes him impossible to look away from; but you still can't accept anything he says at face value."[22]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 171–172
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 117–119
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Carter, Chris (2005). Audio Commentary for "Duane Barry" (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
4.Jump up ^ Macmillan, pp. 116–119
5.Jump up ^ Macmillan & Lena, passim
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d Chris Carter (1994–1995). Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Duane Barry" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 57
8.Jump up ^ The Truth About Season Two (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. 1994–1995.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lovece, p. 120
10.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 100
11.Jump up ^ Behind the Truth: Duane Barry (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. 1994–1995.
12.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
14.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 172
15.Jump up ^ "Advanced Primetime Awards Search". Academy of Television Arts & Science. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
16.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp. 100–101
17.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles,p. 110
18.Jump up ^ Roush, Matt (October 14, 1994). "Fridays take dramatic turn // Fright, film noir and `Fences' fill the bill". USA Today. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
19.Jump up ^ "Here's a Crash Course on X-Files". Contra Costa Times. June 12, 1998.
20.Jump up ^ "X-Files key players X-Files makes mark on TV Sci-Fi history Alien-spacey show re-establish genre during Skeptical Decade and Created Pop Catchphrases". San Jose Mercury News. May 19, 2002.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 35–36
22.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2008). "'Sleepless/Duane Barry/Ascension' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Macmillan, Malcolm (2000). An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-13363-6.
— and M.L. Lena (May 17, 2010). "Rehabilitating Phineas Gage". Neuropsychological Rehabilitation 20: 1–18. doi:10.1080/09602011003760527. PMID 20480430.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Duane Barry" on TheXFiles.com
"Duane Barry" at the Internet Movie Database
"Duane Barry" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 
 
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

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1994 television episodes



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Ascension (The X-Files)

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"Ascension"
The X-Files episode
X-filesascension.jpg
Special agent Dana Scully kidnapped by Duane Barry
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 6
Directed by
Michael Lange
Written by
Paul Brown
Production code
2X06
Original air date
October 21, 1994
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Steve Railsback as Duane Barry
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Steven Williams as X
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Meredith Bain Woodward as Ruth Slaughter
Peter LaCroix as Dwight
Steve Makaj as Patrolman
Robyn Douglas as Video Technician
Bobby L. Stewart as Deputy
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Duane Barry" Next →
 "3"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Ascension" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 1994. It was written by Paul Brown, directed by Michael Lange, and featured guest appearances by Steve Railsback, Nicholas Lea, Steven Williams and Sheila Larken. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. However, the events of "Ascension" are a continuation of the plot of the preceding episode, "Duane Barry". Following the kidnapping of Scully by an unhinged alien abductee Duane Barry (Steve Railsback), Mulder races to track her down.
The decision to have the character of Scully abducted was driven by necessity, as Anderson had become pregnant and required time off from production. "Ascension" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.6, being watched by 9.2 million households in its initial broadcast, and received positive reviews from critics.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Upon hearing the voicemail showing Dana Scully's (Gillian Anderson) kidnapping by Duane Barry, her partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) heads to her apartment and surveys the crime scene. He meets with Scully's mother, Margaret, who claims to have had a dream about her being taken away. The next morning, Assistant Director Walter Skinner tells Mulder that he is "too close" to the case to be involved, and orders another FBI agent, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), to escort him home. Meanwhile, Barry speeds down the Blue Ridge Parkway when he is pulled over by a highway patrol officer. When Scully—locked in the trunk—tries to get the officer's attention, Barry kills him. Mulder reviews a video of the traffic stop, and sees that Scully is still alive.
Mulder realizes that Barry is heading to a ski resort at Skyland Mountain, the location of Barry's original abduction; he is attempting to follow through with his original plan of having the aliens abduct someone there in his place. Krycek informs the Smoking Man (William B. Davis) of these findings before departing with Mulder. When they arrive, Mulder boards the resort's aerial tramway in the hopes of reaching its peak before Barry. However, Krycek tries to kill Mulder by sabotaging the tramway's journey upward. Mulder survives and witnesses a strange light in the area. Upon finding Barry's car, Mulder sees no trace of Scully except her necklace. He then encounters a joyous Barry, who claims that she was taken by "them."
When Mulder interrogates Barry, he becomes so enraged that he nearly strangles him, only to stop himself. When he leaves the room, he orders Krycek to not let anyone inside; however, he finds Krycek talking to Barry when he returns. When Skinner arrives minutes later, Barry breaks into convulsions and dies. Later, at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Mulder attempts to question the doctor who performed Barry's autopsy; she refuses to provide details since it was performed by the military instead of the FBI, claiming no other doctors were available. Mulder and Krycek are ordered to take a polygraph test about Barry's death.
Krycek meets with the Smoking Man, and suggests that they kill Mulder. However, the Smoking Man orders that Mulder be left alive, unless they want to risk "turning one man's religion into a crusade". A desperate Mulder tries to visit Senator Matheson, a patron of his work, only to be discouraged from doing so by his secretive informant, X (Steven Williams). In his car, Mulder finds spent cigarettes from the Smoking Man's meeting with Krycek. Realizing Krycek's role in Scully's abduction, Mulder submits a report to Skinner accusing Krycek of impeding his investigation and killing Barry. Skinner summons Krycek to his office, only to learn that he has disappeared. Skinner then announces to Mulder that he is officially re-opening the X-Files.
Mulder meets with Margaret Scully in a park, and tries to give her Scully's necklace. Margaret returns the necklace to Mulder, asking that he give it to Scully when he finds her. Margaret also says that she had the dream again about losing her daughter; Mulder takes this as a hopeful sign that Scully may still be alive. A mournful Mulder later returns to Skyland Mountain, to the field where Scully was abducted. Seemingly alone without her, he looks up into the stars.[1][2]
Production[edit]
The idea to have Scully abducted originated when Gillian Anderson became pregnant in the middle of the first season.[3] While initially upset, those in charge of the show never considered dropping the actress from the show.[3] Ideas such as having Scully give birth to an alien baby were dismissed and ultimately the writers decided to work around the pregnancy by closing the X-Files, separating Mulder and Scully, and eventually having her be abducted.[3] This permitted the producers to have an explanation for Scully's absence (she appears in only two scenes in "Ascension" and not at all in the next episode, "3").[3] Series creator Chris Carter commented that both the censors and the producers were reluctant on showing Scully in the trunk, but he "fought for that image" as he considered it conveyed the sense of danger to the character. Carter added the scenes of the experiment were meant to be ambiguous on whether Scully was abducted by aliens, the military, or both.[4]
"Ascension" featured guest appearances from Steve Railsback, Nicholas Lea, Steven Williams and Sheila Larken.[1] David Duchovny provided his own stunts in this episode,[5] including being dangled in the aerial lift, shot in a single day at Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The backdrop for Barry's drive was done in a neighbouring mountain, Mount Seymour.[6] The tagline for this episode is "Deny Everything", replacing the usual phrase "The Truth is Out There."[7]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Ascension" premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on October 2, 1995.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.6 with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9.6 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode.[9] A total of 9.2 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[9]
In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated an A, being described as "an expertly paced race against time". The handling of Anderson's pregnancy was called "creative", while the re-opening of the X-Files unit and the revelation of Krycek as a villainous character were noted as highlights.[10] Writing for the A.V. Club, Zack Handlen called "Ascension" an "essential" episode, adding that it serves to "raise the stakes without losing the core of the show's appeal, and solve a technical problem in the most creatively satisfying way possible". Handlen also praised Nicholas Lea's portrayal of agent Alex Krycek, but felt that the character's role as a double agent was revealed too soon in the series.[11] Critical Myth gave this episode 9/10, stating "[a]s convoluted and bastardized as that plot thread would become, at this stage of the game, it was one of the best episodes of the series to date."[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 173–174
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 120–122
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, pp. 23–25
4.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (1994–1995). Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Ascension" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox.
5.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 175
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 66
7.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 120
8.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2008). ""Sleepless/Duane Barry/Ascension" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". A.V. Club. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Ascension". Critical Myth. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
BibliographyGradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Ascension" on TheXFiles.com
"Ascension" at the Internet Movie Database
"Ascension" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: 1994 television episodes
The X-Files (season 2) episodes



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3 (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"3"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 7
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Chris Ruppenthal
Glen Morgan
James Wong
Production code
2X07
Original air date
November 4, 1994
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Perrey Reeves as Kristen Kilar
Frank Military as The Son/John
Malcolm Stewart as Commander Carver
Justina Vail as The Unholy Spirit
Gustavo Moreno as The Father
Tom McBeath as Detective Gwynn
Frank Ferrucci as Detective Nettles
Ken Kramer as Dr. Browning
Roger Allford as Garrett Lorre
Richard Yee as David Yung
Brad Lorre as Fireman
John Tierney as Dr. Jacobs
David Livingstone as Guard
Guyle Frazier as Officer[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Ascension" Next →
 "One Breath"

List of season 2 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"3" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. First broadcast on the Fox network on November 4, 1994, the episode was written by Glen Morgan, James Wong and Chris Ruppenthal, directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by Perrey Reeves and Malcolm Stewart. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. Following on from the abduction of Dana Scully in the previous episode, "Ascension", "3" was the first episode of The X-Files not to feature series star Gillian Anderson. The episode earned 9 million households during its first broadcast, and received mostly negative reviews from both critics and the show's cast and crew.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder is brought in to investigate a series of ritualistic murders in Los Angeles, which he first believes were the work of a cult. However, it turns out that the perpetrators are a group of vampires.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Los Angeles, Garrett Lorre, a middle-aged businessman, embarks on a one night stand with an anonymous woman he has met at a corporate party. However, as they are having sex in his hot tub, the woman bites Lorre to drink his blood. Two other men join the woman, helping her kill Lorre by repeatedly stabbing him using hypodermic needles.
The following day, before departing for Los Angeles, Fox Mulder stores the missing Dana Scully's FBI badge in an X-File and files it under her name. At the crime scene, Mulder meets with the LAPD detectives investigating the case, explaining that Lorre's murder is the latest in a series of seemingly vampiric serial killings that have spanned two other states. Because the killers write biblical passages in the victims' blood, Mulder believes that they view themselves as an "Unholy Trinity".
Mulder visits a local blood bank where a night watchman has been recently hired. Mulder has him arrested after he is caught drinking blood in the facility's storeroom. During his interrogation, the suspect tells Mulder that he belongs to a trio of vampires who desire immortality; he is known as "The Son" while the other two, a man and a woman, are called "The Father" and "The Unholy Spirit". Mulder does not believe The Son's claims. However, at sunrise, The Son is burned to death when sunlight from the window touches his flesh. Mulder is taken aback, having previously assumed vampires to be purely mythological.
During an examination of The Son's body, Mulder discovers a tattoo for Club Tepes, a local vampire club. There, he comes across a young woman named Kristen Kilar who partakes in the consumption of blood. Mulder, having his suspicion aroused, follows Kristen after she and another club patron, David Yung, leave for an erotic liaison; he initially fears that Kristen is targeting Yung, but is beaten by Yung when he catches the agent spying on them. After Mulder leaves, Yung is murdered by the three killers.
Mulder runs a background check into Kristen, discovering that she formerly lived in Memphis and Portland—both the previous locations of earlier murders. Mulder assists the LAPD in searching Kristen's home, where he finds various blood-related paraphernalia. When Kristen arrives later, Mulder is waiting for her. Kristen tells Mulder that she met The Son in Chicago and that they had engaged in "blood sports" together. Later, Kristen fled The Son as he formed the Unholy Trinity with his accomplices and began their killing spree, following her across the country. Mulder and Kristen kiss while The Son, who has returned from the dead, watches on.
The next morning, The Son confronts Kristen and tells her that by killing Mulder and drinking the blood of a "believer", she will become one of them. Kristen approaches Mulder with a knife but instead stabs The Father, who is hiding in the bedroom. The Son attacks Mulder but is subdued. Mulder and Kristen try to escape, but are attacked in the garage by The Unholy Spirit. Kristen drives into her, impaling her on a wooden peg on the wall. Kristen tricks Mulder into running outside of the house while she goes back inside and pours gasoline around herself and The Son. Kristen lights a match, blowing up the house and taking her own life in order to kill the other vampires. Firefighters find four bodies in the wreckage while Mulder stares at Scully's cross necklace.[1][2]
Production[edit]


"It's a very different show because it's the first one without Scully. She's been away for quite some time. It's a situation where Mulder is in a dark place, doesn't know which way to turn, and is really very much on his own. The whole vampire thing happened because he went to a dark place that he normally wouldn't have gone to."
David Nutter on "3"[3]
Howard Gordon was originally supposed to write the seventh episode of the season, but when he became unavailable Glen Morgan and James Wong, who were working on writing the eighth episode of the season, agreed to rewrite a freelance script provided by Chris Ruppenthal.[4] The writers had to do significant edits, but retained the main plot surrounding three vampires.[4][5]
Club Tepes, named after Prince Vlad Tepes—better known as Vlad the Impaler, who was the inspiration for Dracula[6]—was shot inside a closed-down and redecorated nightclub, with extras recruited from other Vancouver clubs.[7] The location for Kristen's house was the mansion of hockey player Pavel Bure, then the leading name of the Vancouver Canucks. The producers had an agreement for the late filming from all but one of Bure's neighbors, who was absent during the petitioning. Said neighbor later tried to sue Fox, only agreeing to let production continue after receiving an indenization.[8]
Perrey Reeves, who played Kristen, was David Duchovny's real-life girlfriend at the time.[9] Speaking of Mulder's possible sexual encounter with Kristen, series creator Chris Carter said, "I thought, 'This guy's a monk. Let's let him be a human. Especially in [Scully's] absence, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to do it."[9] Duchovny had previously acted alongside another real-life girlfriend, Maggie Wheeler, in the first season episode "Born Again".[10] Gillian Anderson is absent from the episode as she was on leave to give birth to her daughter Piper at the time.[5] This episode was the first in which Scully did not appear.[6]
Broadcast and reception[edit]

 

 The romantic scenes between David Duchovny and his then-girlfriend Perrey Reeves (pictured) were widely criticized.
"3" premiered on the Fox network on November 4, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on October 9, 1995.[11] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.4, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9 million households.[12]
Co-writer Glen Morgan felt doing an episode on vampires was a mistake, and said that they also took heat for having Mulder fall for Kristen. Co-writer James Wong was also disappointed, saying that the script was a lot better than the show and that the episode was weakened when Fox censors had problems with the episode.[13] Actor David Duchovny thought the episode had style, but suffered some lapses in logic, including the scene where Kristen shaves Mulder before the two kiss.[14]
While writing about vampire-related television shows for Metacritic, Zeenat Burns described the episode as "wretched".[15] Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a C, criticizing the fact that it did not explore enough the "promising premise" of Scully's absence.[16] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club also considered that without said premise"deserve[d] better than to be background noise for a by-the-numbers erotic thriller".[17] Handlen described Mulder and Kristen's "tedious romance" as "all kinds of misguided",[17] and felt the episode indulged in "lazy writing" regarding the over-explored theme of vampires which resulted in "terrible dialogue and heavy-handed attempts at mood".[17] He still praised David Duchovny's performance and felt the first twenty minutes were "endurable trash" with a "serious USA Up All Night vibe".[17]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp.176–177
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.123–125
3.Jump up ^ Edwards, p.103
4.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, p.102
5.^ Jump up to: a b Lovece, p.126
6.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p.176
7.Jump up ^ Cerone, Daniel Howard (October 28, 1994). "A Surreal 'X-Files' Captures Earthlings! : Poltergeists, Space Aliens and Mutants Feed Show's Hold on Younger Audience". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
8.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 67
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p.177
10.Jump up ^ Lovece, p.100
11.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
12.Jump up ^ Lowry, p.249
13.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp.64–65
14.Jump up ^ Lowry, p.178
15.Jump up ^ Burns, Zeenat (June 9, 2010). "Ranked: Vampire TV Shows". Metacritic. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
16.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c d Handlen, Zack (August 29, 2008). "3/One Breath/Firewalker". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
BibliographyGradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X marks the spot: on location with the X-files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"3" on TheXFiles.com
"3" at the Internet Movie Database
"3" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1994 television episodes


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One Breath

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"One Breath"
The X-Files episode
OneBreathXFiles.jpg
Dana Scully is visited by the spirit of her father, during her near death experience.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 8
Directed by
R. W. Goodwin
Written by
Glen Morgan
James Wong
Production code
2X08
Original air date
November 11, 1994
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Don S. Davis as William Scully
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Steven Williams as X
Jay Brazeau as Dr. Daly
Nicola Cavendish as Nurse Owens
Lorena Gale as Nurse Wilkins
Ryan Michael as Overcoat Man
Tegan Moss as Young Dana Scully[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "3" Next →
 "Firewalker"

List of The X-Files episodes
"One Breath" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 1994. It was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, directed by R. W. Goodwin, and featured guest appearances by Melinda McGraw, Sheila Larken and Don S. Davis. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "One Breath" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.5, being watched by 9.1 million households in its initial broadcast.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Scully is found comatose in hospital after her abduction in the earlier episode "Ascension". Mulder attempts to investigate what has happened to her, but finds himself hindered by a man he had believed to be an ally.
Anderson returned to the series only days after having given birth, missing the previous episode due to her pregnancy. Morgan and Wong attempted to create a version of the earlier episode "Beyond the Sea", this time centered on Duchovny's character Mulder. The episode also introduced the character of Melissa Scully, an attempt to provide a romantic lead for Mulder which was later dropped.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Background
1.2 Events
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Background[edit]
FBI special agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is currently missing, having disappeared after being kidnapped by a deranged multiple-abductee in the two-part episodes "Duane Barry" and "Ascension". Her partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has continued his work without her, but is still investigating her disappearance, believing her to have been abducted by aliens. His investigations into similar abductions in the past have been aided by The Lone Gunmen, a trio of conspiracy theorists made up of John Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard Langly (Dean Haglund).
Events[edit]
Scully's mother, Margaret, (Sheila Larken) tells Mulder a story about Dana shooting a snake with her brothers as a child and regretting what she did afterwards. She indicates she is ready to let go of Dana, and shows Mulder Scully's gravestone. Mulder, however, refuses to give up.
Scully then turns up mysteriously at a hospital in a coma. An out of control Mulder demands to know how she got there, and is escorted out by security but later calms down and meets with Dr. Daly (Jay Brazeau), who reveals that no one can figure out how she got there or what's wrong with her. He tells Mulder and Mrs. Scully that she has a living will that dictates she be taken off of life support when her condition falls to specific criteria. At Scully's bedside, Mulder meets her older sister Melissa (Melinda McGraw). Scully has a vision of sitting in a boat, attached by rope to a dock where Mulder and Melissa stand, and nurse Owens behind them. Frohike visits Scully and sneaks out her medical chart, which the Lone Gunmen later investigate. Byers finds that Scully's blood contains branched DNA that may have been used for identification but now is inactive and nothing more than a poisonous waste product in her system.
The mysterious Nurse Owens visits Scully at her bedside, trying to reach her in her coma. Later Mulder visits Scully while another nurse takes her blood. When distracted, a mysterious man steals Scully's blood sample and runs. Mulder chases him down to the parking lot where he is confronted by X, who demands that he stop pursuing what happened to Scully and let her die. He then executes the man who stole her blood. When Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) calls Mulder to his office regarding the incident, Mulder denies any involvement and claims that the Cigarette Smoking Man is responsible for what happened to Scully. Mulder demands to know where he is but Skinner refuses to tell him.
In another vision Scully lies on a table and is visited by her deceased father. Mulder, sitting with Melissa in the hospital cafeteria, is asked by a woman for change for the cigarette machine. When she says that a pack of Morleys is already there and leaves, Mulder opens it and finds the Cigarette Smoking Man's address inside. Mulder bursts into the Cigarette Smoking Man's home and holds him at gunpoint, demanding to know why Scully was taken instead of him. The Cigarette Smoking Man claims he likes the both of them, which is why she was returned. He tells Mulder that he'll never know the truth if he kills him, and Mulder decides not to.
Mulder returns to FBI headquarters and types out a resignation letter that he hands into Skinner. Skinner visits his office as Mulder is packing his things, and relates an out-of-body experience he had in Vietnam. Skinner refuses to accept Mulder's resignation and Mulder realizes that he was the one who provided him with the Cigarette Smoking Man's location. Heading to the parking garage, Mulder is met by X, telling him that he'll have a chance for revenge that night when men, believing him to have information on Scully, will search his apartment at a specific time. Mulder is waiting with his gun at his apartment when Melissa arrives. Although he initially refuses to leave, Melissa is able to convince Mulder to see Scully, where he holds Scully's hand and talks to her. Returning home to find his apartment trashed, Mulder sits on the floor and cries.
The next day, Scully awakens. Mulder is called to the hospital and sees her, returning her cross necklace, where she indicates she heard his voice while in her coma. Scully tells him she doesn't remember anything after being kidnapped by Duane Barry. Later Scully asks one of the nurses if she can see Nurse Owens, as she wants to thank her, but the nurse tells Scully that no nurse named Owens works at the hospital.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 Anderson had given birth to her daughter days before filming "One Breath".
Gillian Anderson, who had just given birth to her daughter Piper days before this episode spent the majority of the episode in a hospital bed.[3]
The episode title, "One Breath" comes from a line from Scully's father when he talks to her during the episode.[4] The character 'The Thinker', who later appears in person in the episode "Anasazi" was named after online X-Files fan 'DuhThinker'.[4] The episode introduces Melinda McGraw as Scully's sister Melissa. McGraw had previously worked with writers Glen Morgan and James Wong, who specifically wrote the part with her in mind.[4] Thoughts were given to having a romantic interest between Mulder and Melissa, but the concept never came to pass.[4]
Writer Glen Morgan said of the episode, "Duchovny challenged us to do a "Beyond the Sea" for him. The show had been so dark and bleak, and Jim and I feel that there is a side to the paranormal that's very hopeful. We wanted to do that side of it. I thought it would be a great opportunity for Duchovny, but then the situation came up with Gillian's pregnancy. We needed to get her off her feet anyway. There's a line in there where Scully's sister says 'Just because the belief is positive and good doesn't make it silly or trite'. It was the whole theme of the show."[5]
Chris Carter described the opening scene—in which Scully discovers the truth about death, sadness, and sorrow—as "a way he would never imagined an X-Files episode to begin with", and that the related scene with Scully's tombstone was "a soft but beautiful opening" that "sets up the episode in a frightening way". The image of Scully in the boat was meant to symbolize "being tethered to something very tenuously, and that there was a chance for you to be cut adrift and slip into the unknown". Skinner facing the Smoking Man placed the character as "both an antagonistic and institutional figure" that tries to be both an FBI agent and an ally of Mulder and Scully—his refusal to allow the Smoking Man to smoke in his office "speaks of [Skinner's] alliances and allegiances to Agent Scully and his hatred of this man he cannot vanquish, he cannot get rid of, but he has to tolerate".[6]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"One Breath" premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on October 16, 1995.[7] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.5 with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] A total of 9.1 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[8]
In 1996, Chris Carter declared "One Breath" to be one of the series' most popular episodes.[5] Co-writer James Wong also enjoyed the episode, saying "I really love that show".[5] Director R. W. Goodwin said of the episode, "What's so unusual about "One Breath" is that it had very little to do with our usual X-File stuff. It was more about human emotions, drama, relationships".[9] The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series.[4]
In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated a B. Its "absurd symbolism and the introduction of Scully's dopey New Age sister" were criticized, but it was felt that these elements did not prevent "One Breath" from being a "richly layered installment". It was also felt that the episode featured "arguably Duchovny's best performance".[10] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club hailed "One Breath" as an essential episode of the show. He felt that there was a "sloppiness to the mythology" and that "the resolution of the whole coma situation is weak". However, the "incredibly moving moments" and highlights such as Mulder attacking the Smoking Man and Skinner's speech about Vietnam turned it into an episode "more about the moments than the big picture".[11] Nina Sordi, writing for Den of Geek, ranked the episode as the eighth best in the series' run, calling it "just too unforgettable". Sordi added that " verbal sparring matches between Mulder and Scully's equally feisty sister, Melissa, created an interesting dynamic in the absence of Scully's perspective".[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 179–180
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 126–129
3.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 180
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lovece, p. 130
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Edwards, p. 104
6.Jump up ^ Chris Carter. "Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "One Breath"". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (featurette) (Fox). Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
7.Jump up ^ David Nutter, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
9.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 105
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
11.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 29, 2008). "3/One Breath/Firewalker". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
12.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"One Breath" on TheXFiles.com
"One Breath" at the Internet Movie Database
"One Breath" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1994 television episodes



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Firewalker (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"Firewalker"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 9
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Howard Gordon
Production code
2X09
Original air date
November 18, 1994
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Bradley Whitford as Dr. Daniel Trepkos
Leland Orser as Jason Ludwig
Shawnee Smith as Jessie O'Neil
Tuck Milligan as Dr. Adam Pierce
Hiro Kanagawa as Peter Tanaka
David Lewis as Vosberg
David Kaye as TV Reporter
Torren Rolfsen as Technician[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "One Breath" Next →
 "Red Museum"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Firewalker" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 18, 1994. It was written by Howard Gordon, directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by Bradley Whitford, Leland Orser and Shawnee Smith. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a death in a remote research base and discover that a new silicon-based fungus found in the area may be affecting and killing the researchers.
The plot of the episode was inspired by NASA's Project Dante. "Firewalker" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9, being watched by 8.6 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received poor reviews from critics, being noted as repeating material already familiar to the series.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Adam Pierce, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology, intercepts a visual transmission from Firewalker, a mobile robot sent by a volcanic research project on Oregon's Mount Avalon. Firewalker is broadcasting from inside a volcanic cave, where Pierce glimpses the dead body of the chief seismologist, Phil Erickson. He also sees a shadow moving in the cave, an impossibility due to the extremely high temperatures. The figure in the cave then destroys Firewalker's camera, ending the transmission.
Pierce goes to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), showing them a news report featuring the project's leader, Daniel Trepkos (Bradley Whitford); Pierce was with the project until he and Trepkos had a falling out. The agents take the case, but Mulder is reluctant to let Scully go to Oregon, given her recent abduction; Scully, however, insists that she is ready. Upon arriving at Mount Avalon, Pierce goes out in the woods to inspect the project's equipment while the agents search the laboratory. They meet the seemingly traumatized team: robotics engineer Jason Ludwig (Leland Orser), systems analyst Peter Tanaka (Hiro Kanagawa), and graduate student Jessie O'Neil (Shawnee Smith). They claim that Trepkos, who has bipolar disorder, behaved erratically after Firewalker's first descent, destroying their lab before disappearing. Meanwhile, outside, Trepkos strangles Pierce.
After the team finds and stores Pierce's body, Mulder reviews Trepkos' fragmented notes. He finds references to a new silicon-based organism existing inside Mount Avalon; Scully, however, points out Trepkos' mental state and questions his conclusions. Tanaka breaks into convulsions and displays a high fever, but refuses any help from Mulder or Scully. When he is put on a stretcher for a medivac pickup, Mulder notices a throbbing bulge in his neck. Tanaka flees into the woods and dies when a tentacle bursts out of his throat. An autopsy by Scully finds sand in his lungs, indicating the existence of a silicon-based spore; she theorizes that when exposed, the spore infects the nearest hosts or otherwise dies. Mulder contacts the CDC to have them quarantine the site.
Mulder and Ludwig venture into the volcanic caves to find Trepkos. When they find Firewalker, Trepkos shoots Ludwig in the back with a flare gun, killing him. He then burns Ludwig's body, as he was infected with the spore as well. Trepkos tells Mulder that after Firewalker returned from its first descent, Erickson pulverized a rock in one of its samples, resulting in his death and the infection of all the scientists immediately surrounding him. Trepkos says that the spore is parasitic in nature, making its hosts pass itself on to others. Meanwhile, in the lab, an infected O'Neil handcuffs herself to Scully to expose her to the spore, but Scully protects herself by throwing O'Neil into a sealed chamber and closing the door. A protrusion bursts out of O'Neil's throat, killing her without spreading the spore to Scully.
Mulder and Trepkos arrive on the scene. Mulder radios the evacuation team but—knowing that Trepkos will refuse to go—reports that only he and Scully have survived the ordeal. The agents enter a month-long quarantine while the Chemical Corps confiscates the lab and cordons off Mount Avalon. Firewalker is salvaged, but is too damaged to yield sufficient data. Trepkos and O'Neil are officially unaccounted for and presumed dead; Trepkos is last seen carrying O'Neil's body as he disappears into the volcano.[1][2]
Production[edit]

A man in a white shirt stands next to a microphone in a convention.

 Howard Gordon was inspired to write "Firewalker" by a NASA exploration project.
Howard Gordon was inspired to write the episode after seeing two news reports about Project Dante, a robotic explorer created by NASA that had been sent into a volcano.[3] Chris Carter said of the episode, "I think that's the first time in our second season that we were telling what's one of our serial stories rather than our mythological stories. In other words, it was an X-File rather than one of the cosmology shows that explore the characters".[4] However, Gordon felt that the episode allowed him to explore the possible results of Mulder's search for the truth, echoing this in the mindset of Daniel Trepkos and the interactions between the two characters. Gordon noted that "the natural endpoint of this quest for the truth is madness", comparing Mulder's treatment of Trepkos with the events of the novel Heart of Darkness.[5]
The episode shared themes with previous episodes from the first season such as "Ice" and "Darkness Falls", which both featured the agents finding new lifeforms in remote locations.[3] James Wong was somewhat negative concerning the episode's similarities to "Ice", saying, "If the show starts to cannibalize itself, there's going to be trouble".[4] Gordon stated, however, "I know there are some similarities with 'Ice', but I think once you get beyond the similarities of a group of people in a confined space going up against a creature, there are enough differences to separate the two".[4]
As the mountains of the Cascade Range were too far from Vancouver to serve as a location, the film crew settled on a nearby forest that had a partial view of the mountains. The set used for the exterior of the field base camp was later sold to the production company responsible for the TV series The Sentinel, while in the interior was shot inside a British Columbia hydro sub station.[6] A set was built to represent the interior of the volcano, and footage filmed there was achieved through the use of a crane.[4] Hiro Kanagawa, who portrays the character Peter Tanaka, would make another appearance in the fourth season episode "Synchrony",[7] as well as making appearances both in the spin-off series The Lone Gunmen[8] and The X-Files' sister show Millennium.[9]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Firewalker" premiered on the Fox network on November 18, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on October 23, 1995.[10] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 9 with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[11] A total of 8.6 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[11]
In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated a D-. The review described it as "insultingly bad," noting that it seemed to be "ripping off" both the first season episode "Ice" and the 1979 film Alien.[12] Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen felt that "Firewalker" represented a "back to basics" approach to the series, following from the previous story arc relating to Scully's abduction. Handlen noted that the episode would have been "a total waste of time" elsewhere in the season's schedule, but served as a "competent enough" means of reuniting the main characters.[13] Howard Gordon was praiseful of physical effects supervisor Toby Lindala's work on this episode, quipping that Lindala's effects "won the gross-out award".[3] Gordon also praised Nutter's job in directing the episode.[3] Carter said that "Firewalker" was a "very successful episode. David Nutter added a nice directorial touch; the guest appearances were very good".[4]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 181–182
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 131–132
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, pp. 182–183
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Edwards, pp. 106–107
5.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 183
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson p. 68
7.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 212
8.Jump up ^ Bryan Spicer (director); Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (March 11, 2001). "Bond, Jimmy Bond". The Lone Gunmen. Season 1. Episode 2. Fox.
9.Jump up ^ David Nutter (director); Glen Morgan & James Wong (writers) (November 22, 1996). "522666". Millennium. Season 1. Episode 5. Fox.
10.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
12.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
13.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 29, 2008). "3/One Breath/Firewalker". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Firewalker" on TheXFiles.com
"Firewalker" at the Internet Movie Database
"Firewalker" at TV.com

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­Seasons: 1·
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Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
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 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
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 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
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1994 television episodes


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Red Museum

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"Red Museum"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 10
Directed by
Win Phelps
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
2X10
Original air date
December 9, 1994
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Gillian Barber as Beth Kane
Steve Eastin as Sheriff Mazeroski
Lindsey Ginter as Crew Cut Man
Mark Rolston as Richard Odin
Paul Sand as Gerd Thomas
Bob Frazer as Gary Kane
Robert Clothier as Old Man
Elisabeth Rosen as Katie
Crystal Verge as Woman Reading Words
Cameron Labine as Rick Mazeroski
Tony Sampson as Brad
Gerry Naim as First Man
Brian McGugan as First Officer[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Firewalker" Next →
 "Excelsis Dei"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Red Museum" is the tenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 1994. It was written by Chris Carter, directed by Win Phelps, and featured guest appearances by Mark Rolston, Paul Sand, Bob Frazer, and Robert Clothier. The episode helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. "Red Museum" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.4, being watched by 9.9 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with many noting the episode's complexity as a detractor.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully travel to Wisconsin after several teens are found wandering in the woods in their underwear with “He Is One” scrawled on their backs. However, the duo soon stumble upon a strange cult of vegetarian “walk-ins.”
Originally, the episode was slated to be a crossover episode with the CBS show Picket Fences. However, the networks nixed the idea before any filming could begin. A facet of the episode, that the adherents of the Red Museum believe that the year 2012 will bring about the dawning of The New Age, is later referenced in the series' finale "The Truth", seven seasons later.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are called in to investigate a number of kidnappings in Wisconsin, where local teenagers are recovered half-naked and drugged with either the phrase "He is one" or "She is one" written on their backs. Meeting with Sheriff Mazeroski, the agents initially suspect a nearby cult, the Church of the Red Museum, which was founded by vegetarian Richard Odin. Mulder, Scully and Mazeroski attend a ceremony of the Red Museum, causing Mulder to believe that they are walk-ins, people whose souls have been taken over by someone else. One of the kidnap victims claims to have felt an animal spirit enter him.
The girlfriend of Mazeroski's son, Rick, is the latest to be found, and material in her blood appears to link her to Odin. Meanwhile, the agents meet an old man who points to a pair of men injecting growth serum into cattle, which he believes is at the cause of the trouble. That night, local doctor Jerrold Larson is killed in a plane crash. An investigation of the site turns up shipping orders that trace back to the kidnapped teens. One of the men injecting the cows is murdered by the Crew Cut Man. The other, a peeping tom named Gerd Thomas, is revealed to be the kidnapper after the agents find a hidden supply of videotapes in the home of one of the victims. Thomas claims that Larson had been turning the children into "monsters" with the drugs he had been injecting in them, which he claims to be unknown.
Meanwhile, Rick is murdered by the Crew Cut Man. Having passed by him on the road, Scully recognizes him as the assassin who killed Deep Throat. Her toxicology results on the victims show what she thinks is the mysterious substance known as "Purity Control". Mulder theorizes that Larson had been injecting the children with alien DNA, and convinces Mazeroski to round up all of the children who had been receiving treatment from Larson and hide them with the Church of the Red Museum. Mulder tracks the Crew Cut Man down at a beef processing plant that he is about to destroy. While Mulder wants him alive, Mazeroski kills him as revenge for Rick's murder.
Scully reports that the Crew Cut Man had no records on file with the FBI or other agencies. The material injected into the cows and children is found to be an unknown substance. All the children who were inoculated came down with a flu-like illness while those in the Church of the Red Museum did not, causing her to think they were a control group. Scully declares the case open and unsolved. [1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 David E. Kelley (left), series creator of Picket Fences initially wanted to make "Red Museum" a crossover
This episode was originally intended to be a crossover episode with the CBS show Picket Fences, which was set in another town in Wisconsin.[3][4] David E. Kelley, the series creator of Picket Fences, and Chris Carter, the series creator of The X-Files, were talking in a parking lot and thought it might be interesting to have Mulder and Scully visit Rome, Wisconsin for an X-Files episode.[4] Unlike a traditional crossover, the two shows would be shot with different viewpoints and one would be aired as an X-Files episode and the other as an episode of Picket Fences.[4] Ultimately, CBS decided against the crossover, and both episodes created ended up becoming stand-alones.[3] Executive producer Robert Goodwin said of the experience "I spent days on the phone with a producer of Picket Fences. We spent days organizing our schedules. Then at the very last minute, of course, we found out that no one had told CBS, and they said 'Forget it. We're having enough trouble on Friday nights without publicizing The X-Files.' It's too bad."[5] The Picket Fences episode intended to be part of the crossover was called "Away in the Manger" and aired the week following "Red Museum." While every reference to Picket Fences has been purged from the X-Files episode, there still are some small winks left in the Picket Fences episode referring to the happenings at the X-Files, including a mention of Dr. Larson.[4] Ladner, British Columbia served as a location for Delta Glen, while the beef processing plant was shot in a facility in Cloverdale, with the local employees being used for the butchering and cleaning up scenes.[6]
Producer Glen Morgan was disappointed with the resolution regarding the Crew Cut Man, saying "My feeling is that to bring this guy back, his presence should have been better developed, and he's shot off screen. I thought 'Geez, this is the guy who killed Deep Throat, who the audience loved, and it's kind of tossed away.' The episode just seems like half of one thing for a while, then half of something else. I think that was a curious choice for Chris [Carter]. He wanted to take a real left turn, but I'd rather have seen a whole episode about that guy showing up and Mulder getting back at him."[7] X-Files writer James Wong also had a negative view of the episode, saying "I think that was one of the most confusing episodes I've ever seen. It had some really neat ideas in it, but I don't think it pulled together finally."[7]
The episode is the first in the series to mention the concept of walk-ins, a plot device that would later be used four seasons later, when the truth about Samantha's abduction was finally revealed to Mulder.[8] It should also be noted that the adherents of the Red Museum believed that the year 2012 will bring about the dawning of The New Age.[9] In the series' finale, "The Truth," it is revealed to Mulder by the Cigarette Smoking Man that the alien colonists plan to colonize the earth on December 22nd, 2012.[10] Despite the developments in the show's mythological plot arc, this 2012 reference is the first explicit reference to the date of the planned colonization, a date that is only finally confirmed in the series finale—both to Mulder and the audience—seven seasons later."[9][10]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Red Museum" premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 1994.[11] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.4, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9.9 million households.[12]
The episode received mostly mixed to negative reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave "Red Museum" a B, noting that the episode was "creative if convoluted."[13] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club criticized the way "Red Museum" was written, writing that the episode, "tries the neat trick of combining what appears to be a [Monster-of-the-Week] ep [sic] with mythos; the results are intriguing, but not entirely successful."[14] He concluded that the episode was "good" but ultimately "forgettable."[14] Critical Myth's John Keegan gave the episode 5/10, criticizing the complexity of the plot.[15] He wrote that "Fairly quickly, The X-Files gained a reputation for episodes that were so convoluted and confusing that few people could make sense of them. This episode stands as one of the shining examples of that trend, and it’s only appropriate that the episode was written by Chris Carter."[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 184–185
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 133–135
3.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 185
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Natale, Richard (9 December 1994). "'Fences' X'd Out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
5.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 108
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 66-9
7.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, p. 107
8.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 58
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Red Museum". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 10. 9 December 1994. Fox.
10.^ Jump up to: a b "The Truth". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 19 & 20. 19 May 2002. Fox.
11.Jump up ^ David Nutter, Daniel Sackheim, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
12.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
13.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (5 September 2008). "Red Museum/Excelsis Dei/Aubrey". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Keegan, John. "Red Museum". Critical Myth. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-72-5.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Red Museum" on TheXFiles.com
"Red Museum" at the Internet Movie Database
"Red Museum" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1994 television episodes
2012 phenomenon


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Excelsis Dei

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"Excelsis Dei"
The X-Files episode
Excelsis Dei.jpg
Scully is surrounded by mysterious apparitions. One critic referred to the ghostly effects as "eerie".
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 11
Directed by
Stephen Surjik
Written by
Paul Brown
Production code
2X11
Original air date
December 16, 1994
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Teryl Rothery as Michelle Charters
Sab Shimono as Gung Bituen
Frances Bay as Dorothy
Eric Christmas as Stan Phillips
David Fresco as Hal Arden
Sheila Moore as Mrs. Dawson[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Red Museum" Next →
 "Aubrey"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Excelsis Dei" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered in the United States on the Fox network on December 16, 1994. It was written by Paul Brown and directed by Stephen Surjik. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Excelsis Dei" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.9, being watched by 8.5 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics; although some complimented the episode's effects, others were critical with the way the show handled rape.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate a claim of rape made by a nurse at a nursing home; the case falls into the purview of the X-Files due to the fact that the assailant appears to have been a disembodied spirit.
Surjik personally asked if he could direct the episode because he was a fan of the series; this was his only credit for the series. Filming the episode was difficult for the cast and crew due largely to the fact that the script arrived for the cast and crew to film only two days in advance. Other issues arose because of technical reasons; one scene required flooding a hallway with 3,300 gallons of water. Many of the scenes were filmed at Riverview Hospital, a mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called to the Excelsis Dei private nursing home in Worcester, Massachusetts in order to investigate a nurse's claim that she was raped by an invisible entity. Severely bruised, Michelle Charters (Teryl Rothery) claims that she knows who was responsible and names the attacker as Hal Arden, an elderly resident of Excelsis Dei. When questioned, Arden admits that he made sexual overtures to her, but claims that it was harmless and that he is too elderly to have done anything.
As Mulder and Scully investigate, they discover a Malaysian orderly is illicitly giving the patients an herbal drug made of mushrooms he cultures in the building's basement. The drug cures their Alzheimer's, but also allows them to see the spirits of people who have died in the nursing home and channel them into existence. In this state, the spirits assault and murder the orderlies that have looked down on them and treated them poorly while they were patients. When a patient overdoses on the drug, the spirits once again attack Charters, trapping her and Mulder in the bathroom, which begins flooding.
As Scully and the home's head doctor manage to stop the patient's seizures, the spirits disappear and the bathroom door gives way, freeing Mulder and Charters. The government of Massachusetts takes over the facility, and the orderly supplying the medicine is turned over to immigration services. The remaining original patients, no longer having access to the drug, revert to their previous state of dementia.[1]
Production[edit]

 

 Many of the scenes were filmed at Riverview Hospital.
"Excelsis Dei" was written by Paul Brown, his second and last script after the earlier episode "Ascension".[2][3] The episode was directed by Stephen Surjik, his only credit for the series.[3] Surjik requested to direct an episode because he was a fan of the show.[4] The episode was noticeably difficult to create; the book The Complete X-Files notes that the entry "gave the staff headaches—both during the shoot and editing process".[5] This was due largely to the fact that the script arrived for the cast and crew to film only two days in advance.[4] In order to film the scene featuring the bathroom door bursting with water—a scene Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles called "nail-biting"—special effects supervisor Dave Gauthier built a tank and flooded the set hallway with 3,300 gallons of water.[3][5] One part of the episode that never made the final cut was an extended look at Michelle's love life. In the script, she is explicitly described as a lesbian and her lover enters her apartment to talk to her. Series creator Chris Carter eventually decided to remove the scene because he felt it "felt gratuitous at that point".[3]
Many of the scenes were filmed at Riverview Hospital, a mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. While filming at the site, several of the members of the production staff claimed they heard mysterious voices and did not dare to "venture into the bowels of the building" for fear that the location was haunted.[4] The episode features several actresses that had previously had parts in other episode of The X-Files. Tasha Simms, who portrayed the daughter of Stan Phillips in the episode, had previously played the part of Cindy Reardon's mother in the first season episode "Eve". Sheila Moore, who had appeared as a background character in the episode "Deep Throat" appears in the episode as the director of the home.[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Excelsis Dei" premiered in the United States on the Fox network on December 16, 1994.[6] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.9, with a 15 share, meaning that roughly 8.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 15 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[7] It was viewed by 8.5 million households.[7]
Critical reception to the episode was mostly mixed. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a grade of B-, calling it "offbeat and cute".[8] Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club was mixed, writing that "the handling of the rape case left a bad taste in my mouth" and that the resolution was "a bit fuzzy".[9] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it a 6/10, noting "Overall, this episode focused on a very interesting concept, but the execution of that concept is so hopelessly convoluted that it’s lost in the shuffle. However, using the disturbing and abusive atmosphere of a nursing home as a setting provides chills without the addition of sinister spirits, so on a gut level, the episode works well."[10] Sarah Stegall awarded the episode three stars out of five and noted "could have gotten five [stars] out of five", but that the episode's lack of closure and the presence of too many questions left unresolved caused it to be less than one of "the best episodes".[11] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a largely critical review and rated it one star out of five.[12] The two referred to the entry as "the idiot's version" of the earlier episode "One Breath". Shearman and Pearson derided the handling of the rape, noting that "there's a sour atmosphere to the whole proceedings", pointing out that "only Scully shows the slightest concern that a woman's been sexually assaulted."[12] However, the two called the ghost effects "eerie", but concluded that the scripting was "very stupid".[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 186–187
2.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 173
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lowry, p. 187
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 69
5.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 60
6.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–95.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
8.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
9.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (5 September 2008). "Red Museum/Excelsis Dei/Aubrey". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Excelsius Dei". Critical Myth. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Stegall, Sarah (1994). "Surf the Halls". The Munchkyn Zone. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 41
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Excelsis Dei" on TheXFiles.com
"Excelsis Dei" at the Internet Movie Database
"Excelsis Dei" at TV.com

[hide]
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The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
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 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

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1994 television episodes


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Aubrey (The X-Files)

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"Aubrey"
The X-Files episode
AuberyXFiles.jpg
BJ Morrow wakes to discover the word "Sister" carved in her chest. Director Rob Bowman called the scene his favorite.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 12
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Sara B. Charno
Production code
2X12
Original air date
January 6, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Terry O'Quinn as Lt. Brian Tillman
Deborah Strang as Detective BJ Morrow
Morgan Woodward as Harry Cokely
Joy Coghill as Linda Thibedeaux
Roby Driscoll as Detective Joe Darnell
Peter Fleming as 1st Officer
Sarah-Jane Redmond as Young Mom
Emanual Hajek as Young Harry Cokely[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Excelsis Dei" Next →
 "Irresistible"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Aubrey" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, and the thirty-sixth episode overall. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 1995. It was written by Sara B. Charno and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Aubrey" received a Nielsen rating of 10.2 and was watched by 9.7 million households. The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Mulder and Scully believe that a serial killer from the 1940s passed his genetic trait of violence to his grandchild after a detective, BJ Morrow (Deborah Strang) mysteriously uncovers the remains of an FBI agent who disappeared almost fifty years before while investigating a modern-day murder case similar to the older cold case.
Although "Aubrey" was written by Charno, Glen Morgan and James Wong, who had written for The X-Files before, provided additional contributions to the story. The story for the episode developed around the concept of 50 year old murders and the transfer of genetic memory. This was later combined with a separate concept about a female serial killer. Terry O'Quinn, who guest stars in the episode, would later play roles in the 1998 feature film, the ninth season episode "Trust No 1", become a recurring character as Peter Watts on Millennium, and appear on the short-lived series Harsh Realm. Strang's work on the episode was submitted for Emmy consideration.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In the town of Aubrey, Missouri, local detective B.J. Morrow tells Lt. Brian Tillman (Terry O'Quinn) that she has gotten pregnant from their affair. He requests she meet him at a motel later that night. While waiting for him, B.J. has a vision that leads her to a field where she digs up the skeletal remains of an FBI agent.
Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) head to Aubrey, where the remains are identified as belonging to Agent Sam Chaney, who disappeared in the area with his partner, Sam Ledbetter, in 1942. The agents find discrepancies in B.J.'s story, but Tillman comes to her defense. Mulder tells Scully of the case Chaney and Ledbetter were investigating, which involved the rapes and murders of three women with the word "Sister" slashed on their chest. Discovering similar cuts on Chaney's chest during the autopsy, B.J. instinctively realizes that the cuts spell the word "Brother." B.J. admits her affair and pregnancy to Scully.
Tillman reveals that a new murder has occurred where a woman had the word "Sister" slashed on her chest. B.J. claims to have seen the victim in her dreams, which involve a man with a rash on his face and a monument that Mulder recognizes as the Trylon and Perisphere from the 1939 New York World's Fair. Searching old mugshot photos, B.J. recognizes the man from her dream as Harry Cokely, who was arrested for raping a woman named Linda Thibedeaux and slashing "Sister" on her chest. Scully believes that B.J. unconsciously recalled the case since her father was a cop and may have discussed it. The agents visit the now-elderly Cokely, who now lives alone after being released from prison. Cokely insists he was at home when the latest murder occurred.
B.J. awakens from a nightmare covered in blood, finding the word "Sister" slashed into her chest. She also sees a young Cokely in the mirror. She heads to a basement and tears away the floorboards, revealing a body within that is found to be Ledbetter's. Cokely is arrested, but denies attacking B.J. Scully tells Mulder that blood on the latest victim matches Cokely's. The agents visit Thibedeaux, who describes her encounter with Cokely in the 1940s. Mulder notices a photo of her at the 1939 World's Fair featuring the Trylon and Perisphere. When pressed, she reveals that the rape resulted in a child, which she put up for adoption. The FBI tracks down the child, who turns out to have been B.J.'s father, causing Mulder to surmise that B.J. is the killer and may be operating on genetic memories.
As the agents are on their way to intercept her, BJ attacks Thibedeaux, but stops when she sees the "Sister" scars on her chest. The agents find Thibedeaux after BJ has left, and head to Cokely's house, believing him to be her next target. BJ, who has already arrived, cuts Cokely's respirator and attacks him with a razor. When the agents arrive BJ attacks Mulder but when Cokely dies she stops. BJ is placed in Shamrock Women's Prison Psychiatric Ward where she is put on suicide watch after attempting to self-abort.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 Terry O'Quinn guest starred in the episode.
The episode was written by Sara B. Charno, making it her first writing contribution to the series. The episode was directed by Rob Bowman.[3] Charno initially developed a story revolving around the concept of 50 year old murders and the transfer of genetic memory.[4] This was later combined with a separate concept about a female serial killer.[4] Glen Morgan and James Wong, who had written for The X-Files before, provided additional contributions to the story.[4] The script was revised shortly before shooting, resulting in newer scenes being added, such as the scene where BJ attacks Mulder.[4]
Morgan and Wong suggested casting Woodward as Harry Cokely, who had previously performed work for them on their series 21 Jump Street.[4] Actor Terry O'Quinn, who appears in this episode as Lt. Brian Tillman, later appeared as different characters in the 1998 feature film and the ninth season episode "Trust No 1".[5][6] He later had a recurring role as Peter Watts on Millennium, the sister series to The X-Files,[7] and appeared in the short-lived series Harsh Realm. O'Quinn later earned the nickname "Mr. Ten Thirteen", due to his appearance in multiple shows and movies affiliated with Ten Thirteen Productions, the company that produced The X-Files.[8]
Series creator Chris Carter was happy with the finished episode, later noting, "I think it came out great". He further elaborated: "Morgan Woodward was excellent as well. Rob Bowman came through for us and gave us an excellent job."[9] Director Rob Bowman later declared that he was proud of the sequence where BJ wakes up with blood on her chest.[9] Many members of the cast and crew were pleased with the casting. Carter called it "terrific". He said Deborah Strang's performance was "top notch". Furthermore, Strang's performance was submitted for an Emmy nomination, although she didn't make the final list.[9]
Reception[edit]
"Aubrey" premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 1995.[3] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.2, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 10.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[10] It was viewed by 9.7 million households.[10]
The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B, describing it as "a well-paced murder mystery with an inventive wrap-up".[11] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three-and-a-half stars out of five. The two positively critiqued the episode's "character study" of BJ Morrow, noting that it "makes this episode stand out". Shearman and Pearson also complimented Strang's performance, writing that she "seizes the part and gives it dignity." However, the two were critical of the genetic defect, arguing that, because Strang's character is fleshed out, the reveal turns her into "a puppet of the paranormal".[12] Critical Myth reviewer John Keegan gave the episode a 7 out 10 rating and wrote that, "Overall, this episode opens some interesting doors, adding the concept of genetic memory to the list of phenomena that cannot be explained in fully material terms. While the plot makes a certain amount of sense, there are a number of convenient moments that take away from the whole. But the end result is a strong episode."[13]
Other reviews were more mixed. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club said that most of "Aubrey" was "fun", although BJ was not "particularly interesting". He stated that things got "dicey" for him around the revelation about Thibedeaux's child and that he did not buy Mulder's genetic impulse theories. He criticised the ending, writing that it "[sacrificed] whatever mood and character development the previous thirty had spent establishing for cheesy theatrics, and the whole thing lands with a resounding thud. There are too many problems with the concept; the nature/nurture debate has been going on for decades, and this ep throws the whole thing out the window in about two minutes. No other cause for BJ's actions is ever given... That's some lazy writing right there."[14] Meghan Deans from Tor.com gave the episode a mixed review and wrote that it was "sort of good [but] sort of a terrible idea".[15] She cited the theme of "breaking the cycle of abuse" as a plus for the entry, noting that it was a "revenge story [of] a woman righting the wrongs of her male ancestors and breaking the cycle of violence outside the family".[15] However, Deans was critical of various elements of the episode, most notably, the genetic theory conceit and the idea of a "activator baby" that caused Morrow's past ancestors to work through her.[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 188–189
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.138–140
3.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lowrym p.189
5.Jump up ^ Brew, Simon (17 July 2008). "Lost's John Locke in The X-Files". Den of Geek. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
6.Jump up ^ Tony Wharmby (Director) (6 January 2002). "Trust No 1". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 6. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Gibron, Bill (20 July 2004). "Millennium: Season 1: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
8.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 60
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Edwards, pp. 109–110
10.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
11.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 41–42
13.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Aubrey". Critical Myth. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (5 September 2008). "Red Museum/Excelsis Dei/Aubrey". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c Deans, Meghan (2 February 2012). "Reopening The X-Files: "Aubrey"". Tor.com. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 080651745X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Aubrey" on TheXFiles.com
"Aubrey" at the Internet Movie Database
"Aubrey" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1995 television episodes


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Irresistible (The X-Files)

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"Irresistible"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 13
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
2X13
Original air date
January 13, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Bruce Weitz as Agent Moe Bocks
Nick Chinlund as Donnie Pfaster
Christine Willes as Karen Kossef
Deanne Milligan as Satin
Robert Thurston as Toews
Glynis Davies as Ellen
Tim Progish as Mr. Fiebling
Dwight McFee as Suspect
Denalda Williams as Marilyn
Maggie O'Hara as Young Woman
Kathleen Duborg as Prostitute
Mark Saunders as Agent Busch
Clara Hunter as Coed
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Aubrey" Next →
 "Die Hand Die Verletzt"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Irresistible" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 13, 1995. The episode featured the first of two guest appearances by Nick Chinlund as the death fetishist killer Donnie Pfaster. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode was viewed by 8.8 million people upon its first broadcast, and received positive reviews, with much praise to Chinlund's performance as the antagonist.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a "death fetishist" who begins kidnapping and killing women to satisfy his obsession. Scully, still recovering from her earlier abduction, is soon overcome with posttraumatic stress disorder.
"Irresistible" is one of the few in the series that has no paranormal elements to it. Initially, the script called for Donnie Pfaster to be a necrophiliac, but the idea was soon rejected by the Fox Broadcasting Company for being "unacceptable for broadcast standards". Pfaster was eventually brought back in the season seven episode "Orison".

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Minneapolis, a funeral is held for a young girl. The ceremony is observed by Donnie Pfaster, the eerie assistant director for the funeral home. Later that night, as the girl's body is being stored for burial the following day, Pfaster's boss finds him cutting off the corpse's hair. Pfaster is promptly fired.
Some time later, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are summoned to Minneapolis by Moe Bocks, an FBI field agent who is investigating the exhumation and desecration of a body in a local cemetery. Mulder discounts Bocks' theory that this act is a variation of extraterrestrial cattle mutilation, and suggests they search for a human culprit. Scully is disturbed at the sight of the disheveled corpse. Two more bodies are found exhumed, with their hair cut and fingernails removed. Mulder develops a psychological profile of the criminal, believing him to be an escalating "death fetishist" who may resort to murder to satisfy his desires. Scully keeps her discomfort with the case to herself, and writes up a field report on necrophilia.
Pfaster, who was behind the exhumations, proves Mulder's prediction correct when he brings a prostitute to his apartment. When the prostitute discovers a collection of funerary wreaths in Pfaster's bedroom, he kills her and removes her fingers. Later, Pfaster—having been hired as a frozen food delivery man—meets an appointment at a house, where he steals cut hair from the bathroom. Pfaster attends a night class at a community college, where a female classmate defends herself after he makes threatening advances. He is arrested and is placed in a jail cell across from a suspect being interrogated by Mulder, Scully, and Bocks. Pfaster learns Scully's name from the suspect after they leave. He is later released.
Scully is deeply troubled by Pfaster's crimes, and has unsettling hallucinations about the case. In Washington, she has a counseling session with a social worker, during which she shares her anxiety about the investigation. After the session, Scully learns that someone from Minnesota had called for her. When she contacts Mulder, she learns that neither he nor Bocks made the call. Tracing a fingerprint to Pfaster from his arrest, Bocks and Mulder raid his apartment, finding one of the prostitute's fingers in his refrigerator. Meanwhile, after Scully arrives in Minneapolis, Pfaster forces her car off the road. He kidnaps Scully and brings her to his late mother's abandoned house, where she is tied and gagged in a closet.
Mulder and Bocks discover that Pfaster's mother had owned a car which matches paint found on Scully's, tracking down her former residence. Meanwhile, Scully escapes from Pfaster as he prepares a bath for her, resulting in a pursuit through the house. Scully and Pfaster have a struggle that sends them falling down a staircase onto the foyer, where a task force led by Mulder and Bocks breaks in moments later and apprehends Pfaster. Scully initially insists that she is okay, but then breaks down and cries in Mulder's arms. In a voice-over narration, Mulder traces Pfaster's pathology to his childhood, when he was raised in a family of four older sisters. Mulder also reflects on Pfaster's nature and the nature of evil in general.[1][2]
Production[edit]
The episode's initial script where Pfaster was a necrophiliac was rejected by the Fox Broadcasting Company for being "unacceptable for broadcast standards".[3] As series creator Chris Carter described it, "When I handed the script in, it was really for a necrophiliac episode, and that just didn't fly. You cannot do the combination of sex and death on network television."[4] Carter was forced to tone down the script by changing Pfaster from a necrophiliac to a death fetishist and diminishing Pfaster's sexual obsession.[3] He considered that the sexual content was "implied and understood by audiences", and that Pfaster still resulted in a creepy character, particularly his "creepy arrogance" in using shampoo on the hair of his victims.[5] The episode's original title was "Fascination".[6]
The episode is one of the few in the series that has no paranormal elements to it.[3] Carter said of the episode's conception, "My first chance to work with David Nutter in a long time, and I wanted to give him something he could sink his teeth into. It's a little bit different for us. It doesn't really have a paranormal aspect, except for Scully's perceptions of her deepest fears. I felt that I had to figure out what she is most afraid of, and she is most afraid of those things that most of us are afraid of. The idea of dying at the hands of someone - creature or not - and she is helpless to do anything about it. I thought it was a very good way to explore Scully's character."[7] The scene where Dana Scully imagines Pfaster appearing as a devil was influenced by real-life accounts, as described by Carter: "There are reports of people who had been under the spell of Jeffrey Dahmer, who actually claimed that he shape-shifted during those hours when they were held hostage; that his image actually changed."[4] Nutter said "In many ways, Chris wanted to sell the idea that, as established in Mulder's closing dialogue in the show, not all terror comes from the paranormal. It could come from the person next door."[7]
Carter said of the casting of Nick Chinlund as Pfaster, "I thought it was a wonderfully creepy villain. The casting of that show was very difficult. We saw many actors, but there was a quality I was looking for and I couldn't put a name on that quality. I finally figured out what it was when Nick came in and he had a kind of androgynous quality that worked. I thought he looked like Joe College, but he could scare the hell out of you."[7] Producer Glen Morgan said Chinlund's performance was outstanding.[7] Nutter stated "Nick Chinlund was wonderful to work with. The guy was like putty in my hands. He was great. If you're looking for someone to underline the weirdness and strangeness of the character, he did that."[7]
Nutter said of the episode "I really worked hard to make it a special show, because I thought it was special. It was Gillian's post-traumatic stress episode, because she had not really had the opportunity to vent her feelings about the whole Duane Barry situation. This was an opportunity to sit back and let all that happen."[7] Carter particularly liked the scene where a clearly disturbed Scully hugs Mulder, claiming it was a "tender moment" between two characters that had not shown that much affection for each other.[5]
Reception[edit]
"Irresistible" premiered on the Fox network on January 13, 1995.[8] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.2, with a 15 share, meaning that roughly 9.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 15 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[9] It was viewed by 8.8 million households.[9]
Chris Carter said "Irresistible" was effective for "being really scary", and that not only it was one of his favorites but inspired him to create the television series Millennium later.[5] Entertainment Weekly rated "Irresistible" a B+, saying it was based on "an unsettling concept to begin with" that was reinforced by "Chinlund's skin-crawling one-man show".[10] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club rated the episode A, praising the acting, particularly of Chinlund as Pfaster, and describing it as "legitimately scary, a sign of a show that was pushing itself in new and interesting directions". The only criticsm was for the scenes where Scully hallucinates Pfaster shapeshifting as "pretty silly, almost feeling like an attempt to make sure something vaguely paranormal is in the episode so the fans don't get bored with what is ultimately a very good episode".[11]
Writing for Den of Geek, Nina Sordi ranked "Irresistible" the sixth best X-Files episode, saying that "excluding CSM and his cronies, Pfaster has got to be the most disturbing villain that our favorite agents have encountered",[12] and Juliette Harrisson listed "Irresistible" among the best standalone episodes, describing it as "a genuinely creepy 45-minute horror movie".[13] Connie Ogle of Popmatters listed Pfaster among the best monster-of-the-week characters of the series,[14] and IGN's Christine Seghers ranked Chinlund the seventh best guest star in the history of the show, considering that "what makes him all the more frightening is how downright passive and polite he is up until the moment he's going to kill; the perfect camouflage for a modern-day monster."[15] TV Guide listed Pfaster among the scariest X-Files monsters describing him as "evil incarnate".[16]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp.188–189
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.141–142
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, p. 91
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 60
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Chris Carter (1994–1995). Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Irresistible" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox.
6.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 143
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Edwards, pp.111–112
8.Jump up ^ David Nutter, Daniel Sackheim, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
11.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (June 6, 2010). "Irresistible"/"Die Hand Die Verletzt"/"Fresh Bones". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
12.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2011). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
13.Jump up ^ Harrisson, Juliette (September 6, 2011). "A look back over The X-Files' finest stand-alone episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
14.Jump up ^ Ogle, Connie (July 28, 2008), "The X-Factor: A Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters", PopMatters (PopMatters Media), retrieved August 25, 2010
15.Jump up ^ Seghers, Christine (July 17, 2008). "Top 10 X-Files Guest Stars". IGN. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
16.Jump up ^ "The Scariest X-Files Monsters". TV Guide. Retrieved December 14, 201.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Irresistible" on TheXFiles.com
"Irresistible" at the Internet Movie Database
"Irresistible" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 
 
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Die Hand Die Verletzt

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"Die Hand Die Verletzt"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 14
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Glen Morgan
James Wong
Production code
2X14
Original air date
January 27, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Susan Blommaert as Mrs. Phyllis H. Paddock
Dan Butler as Jim Ausbury
Heather McComb as Shannon Ausbury
P. Lynn Johnson as Deborah Brown
Shawn Johnston as Pete Calcagni
Travis MacDonald as Dave Duran
Michelle Goodger as Barbara Ausbury
Larry Musser as Sheriff John Oakes
Franky Czinege as Jerry Thomas
Laura Harris as Andrea
Doug Abrahams as Paul Vitaris[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Irresistible" Next →
 "Fresh Bones"

List of season 2 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 27, 1995. It was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, directed by Kim Manners, and featured guest appearances by Susan Blommaert, Dan Butler, and Heather McComb. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Die Hand Die Verletzt" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, being watched by 10.2 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews, with many critics praising its writing. The title translates from German as "the hand that wounds."
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode Mulder and Scully are called to Milford Falls, New Hampshire after a teenager dies in a strange occult-related incident. At the same time, the town’s real Devil worshipers attempt to hide their tracks. During the investigation, the devil visits Milford Falls, in the guise of Mrs. Phyllis H. Paddock, a substitute teacher.
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" parodies some aspects of the followers of organized religion, most specifically those who follow a religion, but only pay it lip service. In addition, the episode was the last episode of The X-Files to be written by Morgan and Wong before they left to create Space: Above and Beyond; and as such, it featured several nods and in-jokes to The X-Files. All of the scenes that featured animals were filmed with living creatures, including the scene wherein frogs rain from the sky. In fact, actor Dan Butler was terrified of a snake used during one scene.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Directing and filming
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 References 5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Bibliography
6 External links
Plot[edit]
In the town of Milford Haven, New Hampshire, a group of high school faculty members meet to discuss various social events. The adults initially appear to be socially conservative, debating whether students should perform the musicals Grease and Jesus Christ Superstar. However, when the group ends the meeting in a prayer, they recite a Satanic chant.
Later, a group of students go out into the woods at night to play with black magic. The experiment causes unexplainable things to happen, causing all but one of the teenagers to flee. The one teen's mutilated body is discovered the next day, leading Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to investigate. Locals — including the faculty members — claim that the children have unleashed a demonic force with their rituals; the theory which is given validity by strange occurrences, such as frogs falling from the sky and water in the drinking fountain draining counter-clockwise, contrary to the Coriolis effect. Unknown to the agents, substitute teacher Mrs. Paddock (Susan Blommaert) is behind the murder, keeping the eyes and heart of the victim in her desk. One of the faculty members, Jim Ausbury (Dan Butler) suspects one of his colleagues killed the boy, but the others believe it was an outside force. Ausbury's stepdaughter, Shannon (Heather McComb), suffers a breakdown during science class while dissecting a hog fetus.
Meeting with Mulder and Scully, she tells them that Ausbury raped and impregnated her as part of a Satanic ritual, sacrificing their babies. When the agents confront Ausbury with the accusations, he angrily denies them. Shannon stays after school to make up her assignment of dissecting the pig. Mrs. Paddock takes her bracelet and uses it as part of a spell that causes Shannon to slit her wrists. When Ausbury learns that the other faculty members plan to use Shannon as a scapegoat, he admits the sect's existence to Mulder. He confirms Shannon's memory of the rituals, but exposure to sensational media coverage led her to "remember" the sexual abuse. Meanwhile, Scully researches Mrs. Paddock and finds that no one knows anything about her or her background. During a sudden power outage, Mrs. Paddock steals Scully's pen and uses it to impersonate her in a call to Mulder, pretending to be in trouble. Mulder handcuffs Ausbury in the basement to prevent his possible escape, then leaves to search for Scully. Soon after, a giant snake appears and devours Ausbury.
Mulder arrives at the school, where Scully claims that she never called him. They find Mrs. Paddock seemingly attacked by the remaining faculty members, and go to search for them. The faculty members capture the two agents, convinced that they need to perform a sacrifice to regain favor with the Devil and make up for their diluted faith before it is too late. As they are about to kill Mulder and Scully, Mrs. Paddock causes them to instead kill themselves, confirming that their attempt was indeed too late. The agents escape their bonds and find Mrs. Paddock missing, with only a parting message on the chalkboard stating, "Goodbye. It's been nice working with you." [1][2]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]


"It was a fun script that turned this big corner when the girl had the emotional breakdown. It suddenly became a very creepy, dark, disturbing episode. It was vintage Glen and Jim, and we had a great, great performance by the guest stars. A really good, solid episode that actually veered a little more toward the horror genre. But it worked because of Mulder and Scully."
—Chris Carter, on the tone of the episode.[3]

 

 The high school in the episode was named after Aleister Crowley.
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, who were co-executive producers for the series as well as writers. The episode originally stemmed from an idea of Glen Morgan's to have a scene where a snake eats a man.[4] Series creator Chris Carter described the episode as "a cautionary tale about playing with fire, playing with things bigger and badder than you might imagine".[5] In an interview, he also praised the purposefully clashing tones of the entry, noting that it begins almost comical, with the PTC saying Satanic prayers and toads raining from the skies. However, as it goes on, it becomes increasingly more and more dark.[5] Morgan and co-writer James Wong left the series after this episode to produce the series Space: Above and Beyond.[4] The line written by Mrs. Paddock on a chalkboard at the end of the episode, "It's been nice working with you," also acted as a goodbye to the crew of the show.[4] The two later returned to the show in the fourth season.[6]
Crowley High School refers to British ceremonialist and occultist Aleister Crowley.[4] The character names Deborah Brown and Paul Vitaris were based on fans of the series who were active on the internet. In fact, the inspiration for Vitaris—Paula Vitaris—wrote episode reviews of the series for the magazine Cinefantastique, starting with the third season of the show.[7] The episode's title means "The hand that wounds" in German. The title is taken from a part of the prayer that the PTA says near the beginning, which, in its entirety is "Sein ist die Hand die verletzt", meaning "His is the hand that wounds".[8][9]
Directing and filming[edit]
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" was the first episode of the series to be directed by Kim Manners, who would go on to direct many of the series' episodes. Originally, another director was supposed to helm this episode, but plans fell through and Manners was hired. The production staff was initially worried about Manners, because he subscribed to Stephen J. Cannell school of thought regarding television directing; Cannell felt that the writers and directors should both work together to cast characters, look at locations, and film the episode. This school of thought was perceived, at the time, "as a lesser kind" of directing, according to Morgan.[10] However, Morgan was a proponent of Manners, and eventually secured his position for the episode.[10]
While fake frogs were considered for the scene where they fall from the sky, the producers decided to make use of real frogs instead, dropped from a short distance. According to Carter, the "fake ones looked too bad and didn't hop away after command". The snake going down the stairs proved difficult to film as the animal kept on falling onto the floor after slithering down the steps.[5] Actor Dan Butler was terrified of the animal, being unable to talk while shooting the scene in the basement. The actor's fright meant the make-up team did not need to apply fake sweat to his face.[11]
Themes[edit]
Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, proposed that the episode is a parody of organized religion, most specifically those who follow a religion, but only pay it lip service. The two argue that the principle joke in the episode is "to look at the way religious faith has been so watered down and paid nothing but lip service, its rituals and doctrines reinterpreted so that only what's comfortable is adhered to."[12] This parody, however, is turned on its head: the followers paying lip service in "Die Hand Die Verletzt" are not stereotypical Christians, but rather, devil worshippers.[12] Shearman and Pearson compare Mrs. Paddock—which the episode insinuates to be the devil incarnate—coming to Milford Haven, New Hampshire to judge his followers to St. Paul "coming back and taking a pop at all fair weather Christians who only affirm their faith at their own convenience."[13]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club noted the recurring motif of doors. He highlighted various examples—such as the light emanating behind the door in the beginning of the episode, the door in which Mrs. Paddock hides when she kills people, and the door to Mr. Ausbury's basement in which the Satanic rituals took place—noting that "there's the whole notion of opening a door to another world and letting an ancient evil into our own".[14]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" premiered on the Fox network on January 27, 1995.[15] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, with a 18 share. Nielsen ratings are audience measurement systems that determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the U.S. This means that roughly 10.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were watching the episode. It was viewed by 10.2 million households[16] and over 17.7 million viewers.[17] The episode later debuted in the United Kingdom on May 23, 1995 on Sky One.[18]
The episode received early praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave "Die Hand Die Verletzt" an "A–", noting that, in the episode, "Mulder and Scully largely step aside in this wacky, wicked effort chock-full of stunning imagery and wry comment."[19] The magazine praised Blommaert's acting, calling her "juicily diabolical".[19] Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping, in their book X-Treme Possbilities, gave the episode mostly positive reviews, although they criticized the ending. Day applauded the episode's themes of "loss of faith … ritual abuse [and] repressed memories", along with the "great set pieces", and the plot twists.[20] However, he was slightly critical that the episode did not have a solid conclusion, and that the identity of Mrs. Paddock was never revealed. Cornell was even more critical about the lack of closure, calling it "a vast unanswered question" and "very troubling in a show that's concerned with seeing the truth".[20] However, he too was also complimentary towards the set pieces, calling them "groovy".[20]
Later reviews were also complimentary VanDerWerff gave the episode an "A" and called it "a good example of the show heading in a different direction but still largely feeling like the same show." He praised the episode for being "fun [and] creepy". VanDerWerff also praised the final scene, noting that "rare that Mulder and Scully completely get played, but they do here, and it makes the episode an even better sick joke." Ultimately, he praised the "sick sense of humor", the "outright left turns into demented darkness", and "the horrifying visuals".[14] Shearman and Pearson awarded the episode five stars out of five, citing the "very good" conceit about organized religion, the humor, and the "great set pieces" as positive factors.[12][13]
Katie Anderson of Cinefantastique named the scene in which Shannon begins hallucinating that the pig fetus that she is dissecting is alive and screaming the fifth "Scariest Moment" in The X-Files.[21] Connie Ogle from PopMatters ranked the members of the Satanic PTA as some of the "greatest" monsters-of-the-week, writing, "You don’t want to cross the Satan-worshiping teachers at this high school, but there are more vengeful evil forces to displease."[22]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1995), pp. 193–194.
2.Jump up ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 143–145.
3.Jump up ^ Edwards (1996), p. 113.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry (1995), p. 195.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Chris Carter (1994–1995). Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Die Hand Die Verletzt" (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox.
6.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1997). "Morgan and Wong Return to The X-Files". Cinefantastique.
7.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1996). "Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 28 (3): 18–40.
8.Jump up ^ Cornell (1998) et al, p. 146
9.Jump up ^ Rozum (1997), p. 27.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Allair, Matt (October 27, 2011). "Exclusive Interview with Glen Morgan". The X-Files Lexicon. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
11.Jump up ^ Behind the Truth: Die Hand Die Verletzt (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. 1994–1995.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson (2008), p. 43.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2008), p. 44.
14.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (June 6, 2010). "'Irresistible'/'Die Hand Die Verletzt'/'Fresh Bones'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
15.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox Home Entertainment. 1994–95.
16.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), p. 249.
17.Jump up ^ "Super Bowl Kicks ABC to the Top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today (Gannett Company, Inc.). February 1, 1995. p. D3. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
18.Jump up ^ Cornell (1998) et al, p. 145
19.^ Jump up to: a b "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
20.^ Jump up to: a b c Cornell (1998) et al, p. 147
21.Jump up ^ Anderson, Kaite (April 2002). "The Ten Scariest Moments". Cinefantastique 34 (2): 50–51.
22.Jump up ^ Ogle, Connie (July 28, 2008), "The X-Factor: A Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters", PopMatters (PopMatters Media), retrieved August 25, 2010
Bibliography[edit]
Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin, Topping, Keith (1998). X-Treme Possibilities. Virgin Publications, Ltd. ISBN 9780753502280.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316218085.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 9780806517452.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061053306.
Rozum, John (1997). "Grey Matters". Sky Buster (Graphic Novel). 1 34. Topps.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 9780975944691.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" on TheXFiles.com
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" at the Internet Movie Database
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1995 television episodes



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Fresh Bones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"Fresh Bones"
The X-Files episode
Two individuals, a man and a woman, stare at a symbol on a tree.
Mulder and Scully stumble upon an ominous voodoo symbol
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 15
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Howard Gordon
Production code
2X15
Original air date
February 3, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Kevin Conway as Private Jack McAlpin
Daniel Benzali as Colonel Wharton
Matt Hill as Private Harry Dunham
Jamil Walker Smith as Chester Bonaparte
Bruce Young as Pierre Bauvais
Steven Williams as X
Katya Gardner as Robin McAlpin
Callum Keith Rennie as Groundskeeper
Roger Cross as Private Kittel
Peter Kelamis as Lieutenant Foyle[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Die Hand Die Verletzt" Next →
 "Colony"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Fresh Bones" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 3, 1995. It was written by Howard Gordon, directed by Rob Bowman, and featured guest appearances by Kevin Conway, Daniel Benzali, and Matt Hill. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Fresh Bones" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.3, being watched by 10.8 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully discover a voodoo symbol drawn on a tree after a soldier, Private Jack McAlpin, crashes his car into it following two separate hallucinatory incidents. This leads the two to a processing center for Haitian refugees where suspicion falls on one of the Haitians identified by the colonel in charge.
Howard Gordon was inspired to write the episode after reading two articles involving suicides of servicemen in Haiti. The Haitian refugee camp was shot in a derelict building in a North Vancouver shipyard; originally, the producers wanted to set the episode in Haiti and actually film in the country. This endeavor, however, proved unsuccessful.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Folkstone, North Carolina, Jack McAlpin, an agitated Marine Corps private, drives his car into a tree after several hallucinatory episodes and is apparently killed. On the tree is a veve, a drawn voodoo religious symbol.
McAlpin is the second purported suicide among troops stationed at an INS compound processing refugees from Haiti. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully visit the compound to investigate McAlpin's death. There, a young boy named Chester Bonaparte sells a good luck charm to Mulder. After meeting with Colonel Wharton, head of the compound, Mulder meets with an imprisoned refugee, Pierre Bauvais, and an associate of McAlpin's, Harry Dunham. When Scully attempts to perform an autopsy on McAlpin's body, she finds a dog carcass in its place at the morgue.
While driving down the road, Mulder and Scully discover a still-living McAlpin, who doesn't remember what has happened to him. Tetrodotoxin, a chemical Mulder believes is part of Haitian zombification rituals, is found in McAlpin's blood. The agents go to the local graveyard to investigate the corpse of the other dead soldier, but find the grave robbed. They also find Chester, who collects frogs at the cemetery and sells them to Bauvais. Dunham approaches Mulder, telling him that Wharton has begun abusing the refugees as a means of retaliation against Bauvais; Wharton denies the accusations, but later has Bauvais beaten to death.
Scully cuts her hand on the thorn of a twig left in her car. When she drives off, a veve is seen on the ground under her car. Mulder has a meeting with X, who tells him that he and Scully will soon be called back to Washington and that the camp will be restricted to military personnel only. Mulder believes Wharton is persecuting the refugees after the suicide of some of his men during a previous trip to Haiti. Scully finds Dunham dead in a bathtub, and Mulder catches McAlpin with a knife nearby. Although he has no recollection of the event, McAlpin confesses to the murder under the influence of Wharton, who tells the agents that Bauvais committed suicide and that their investigation is over.
McAlpin's wife provides the agents with a photo of Wharton with Bauvais in Haiti, causing the agents to go through his office. They find that both Dunham and the other dead soldier were going to testify against him. The agents head to the cemetery, where Wharton is performing a voodoo rite over Bauvais's coffin. When Mulder confronts him, Wharton harms him through sympathetic magic. Meanwhile, in a hallucinatory episode, a man emerges from the small cut in Scully's hand and strangles her, but the illusion disappears when she grabs the charm Chester sold them. Bauvais appears and stops Wharton by blowing zombie powder in his face. Scully arrives to assist Mulder and pronounces Wharton dead.
The next day the agents say goodbye to McAlpin, who reveals that Chester was a boy who had died in the riot six weeks earlier. The episode ends with Wharton being unwittingly buried alive by the graveyard watchman.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 Howard Gordon wrote "Fresh Bones" after reading about suicides of servicemen in Haiti.
Writer Howard Gordon was inspired to write the episode after reading two articles involving suicides of servicemen in Haiti.[3] The refugee plot was used due to the producers being unable to film in Haiti.[4] Colonel Wharton was portrayed by Daniel Benzali, who later went on to star in the ABC series Murder One.[3] While the producers agreed that he did not look like a military man, they felt he had the quality they were looking for in the role.[3] For the sequence where a man emerges from Scully's hand and strangles her, a male actor pushed his gelatine covered fingers through a mechanical hand.[4] The episode started production in late December 1994, and after a Christmas break was completed in January 1995. The Haitian refugee camp was shot in a derelict building in a North Vancouver shipyard. Sump pumps had to be used on the graveyard of the episode's ending as it was shot during a particularly rainy January.[5]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Fresh Bones" premiered on the Fox network on February 3, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 11.3, with a 19 share, meaning that roughly 11.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 19 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 10.8 million households.[6][7] "Fresh Bones" was the highest rated episode of the first two seasons.[6]
The episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Writer Gordon stated that director Bowman did a great job in mining his script for chills.[3] In their book, X-Treme Possibilities, authors Keith Topping and Paul Cornell praised the episode, including Benzali's performance and the sequence in the graveyard at the end of the episode.[8] Series creator Chris Carter called the episode one of the ones he was most proud of from the second season, stating that Gordon did a good job with the script and Bowman did a great job with the directing.[4]
Not all of the reviews were glowing. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B- and a more mixed review, writing that the episode was "Not one for the ages, despite some jarring moments (car meets tree, Scully's hoodoo hallucinations, and that final shot — whoa)."[9] Reviewer Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode an C and wrote that "the biggest problems here are the lack of focus and the chaotic pacing. The episode rumbles along in first gear for about three-quarters of its running time and then abruptly shifts into high gear at the end, moving toward an apocalyptic finish that doesn't feel wholly earned. There's good stuff in 'Fresh Bones,' but the bulk of the episode disappoints."[10]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 196–7
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 146–8
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, pp. 197–8
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Edwards, pp. 114–5
5.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer, p. 55
6.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 198
7.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
8.Jump up ^ Cornell, p. 150
9.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
10.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (6 June 2010). ""Irresistible"/"Die Hand Die Verletzt"/"Fresh Bones"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
BibliographyCornell, Paul, Day, Martin, Topping, Keith (1998). X-Treme Possibilities. Virgin Publications, Ltd. ISBN 0-7535-0228-3.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to The X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Fresh Bones" on TheXFiles.com
"Fresh Bones" at the Internet Movie Database
"Fresh Bones" at TV.com

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 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

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Colony (The X-Files)

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"Colony"
The X-Files episode
Colony TXF.jpg
Clones from the Gregor series
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 16
Directed by
Nick Marck
Teleplay by
Chris Carter
Story by
David Duchovny
 Chris Carter
Production code
2X16
Original air date
February 10, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder
Brian Thompson as Pilot
Peter Donat as William Mulder
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Dana Gladstone as Dr. Landon Prince/Gregor Clones
Tom Butler as CIA Agent Ambrose Chapel
Andrew Johnston as Agent Barrett Weiss
Steven Williams as X
David L. Gordon as FBI Agent
Michael McDonald as MP
Capper McIntyre as Jailer
Bonnie Hay as Field Doctor
James Leard as Sergeant Al Dixon
Linden Banks as Reverend Calvin Sistrunk
Kim Restell as Newspaper Clerk
Richard Sargent as Captain
Kim Roberts as Proprietor
Michael Rogers as First Crewman
Oliver Becker as Second Doctor
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Fresh Bones" Next →
 "End Game"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Colony" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 10, 1995. It was directed by Nick Marck, and written by series creator Chris Carter based on a story developed by Carter and lead actor David Duchovny. "Colony" featured guest appearances by Megan Leitch, Peter Donat and Brian Thompson. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology. "Colony" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.3, being watched by 9.8 million households in its initial broadcast.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate the murders of human clones working in abortion clinics at the hands of a shapeshifting assassin (Thompson). Mulder receives news that his younger sister Samantha (Leitch), who had been abducted as a child, may have returned. "Colony" is a two-part episode, with the plot continuing in the next episode, "End Game".
"Colony" introduced the recurring role of the Alien Bounty Hunter. Actor Brian Thompson auditioned and later won the role. Frank Spotnitz and Carter did not have much time to cast this character, but they knew this casting would be important since he was intended to be a recurring character. Thompson was chosen according to Spotnitz because he had a very "distinctive look" about him, most notably his face and mouth.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Casting
2.2 Writing and filming
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
The episode opens in medias res with Fox Mulder in a field hospital in the Arctic. As Mulder is lowered into a tub of water, Dana Scully bursts in and tells the doctors that the cold is the only thing keeping him alive. Suddenly, Mulder's heart monitor flatlines.
Two weeks earlier, in the Beaufort Sea, crewmen on a ship spot a light in the sky that soon crashes into the sea. A body is retrieved from the crash, revealed to be an Alien Bounty Hunter. Two days later, the Bounty Hunter arrives in an abortion clinic and kills a doctor by stabbing him in the back of the neck with a stiletto weapon, then sets the building on fire and escapes. Mulder receives emails containing the doctor's obituary along with two other identical doctors. After interviewing an anti-abortion priest who had threatened one of the doctors, they are able to use a newspaper advertisement looking for one of the men to track another one, Aaron Baker, to Syracuse, New York.
Mulder has a fellow FBI agent, Barrett Weiss, visit Baker's residence. Weiss and Baker are both killed by the Bounty Hunter, who impersonates Weiss and tells Mulder and Scully that no one is home. After Walter Skinner hears of Weiss' death and closes the case, the agents meet CIA official Ambrose Chapel, who tells them that the doctors are clones from a Soviet genetics program, and are being systematically killed by the Russian and U.S. governments. Mulder, Scully and Chapel head to pick up another doctor named James Dickens, but Dickens flees at the sight of Chapel, who is really the disguised Bounty Hunter. Dickens is killed by the Bounty Hunter in the subsequent pursuit, unknowingly aided by Mulder and Scully.
Scully doubts "Chapel's" credibility, but Mulder believes his story due to his credentials and experience. Scully performs an autopsy on Weiss and finds that his blood has coagulated, while his red blood cell count is excessively high. Scully finds an address on a bag recovered from Dickens' residence and heads there, discovering a lab that is in the process of being destroyed by "Chapel." Meanwhile, Mulder is summoned to the home of his father, Bill, and learns that his sister Samantha has seemingly returned home after being abducted decades before. Samantha claims that she was returned around age nine with no memory, and recent recalled her experience through regression hypnosis.
Samantha tells Mulder that the Bounty Hunter and the clones are actually aliens, and the Bounty Hunter will begin chasing her as soon as he has killed the remaining clones. Meanwhile, Scully heads to a hotel to hide from the Bounty Hunter. Returning to the lab, she finds four more clones, who claim to be the last. Scully arranges for them to be transported to a safe place, but the Bounty Hunter follows her and watches. At her hotel room, Scully lets in a man who seems to be Mulder, only to receive a phone call from the actual Mulder soon after.[1]
Production[edit]
Casting[edit]
As in all other episodes of The X-Files at that point, the casting process took eight days.[2] Megan Leitch, the woman who portrayed Samantha Mulder, did according to Frank Spotnitz a "phenomenal job".[2] Leitch returned to The X-Files over the years to portray Samantha or one of her many clones.[2] She had a lot of lines, which she felt were "very hard" and "specific."[2] Actor Darren McGavin, star of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, was originally sought to play the role of Bill Mulder, but was unable to due to his work schedule. The role was ultimately played by Peter Donat.[3]
Brian Thompson auditioned for the role of the bounty hunter in a casting session, where he was competing with another actor.[2] Frank Spotnitz and Carter did not have much time to cast this character, but they knew this casting would be important since he intended to be a recurring character.[2] Thompson was chosen according to Spotnitz because he had a very "distinctive look" about him, most notably his face and mouth.[2] After casting him, they told Thompson's agent that Thompson needed a hair cut, because at the start the Alien Bounty Hunter was supposed to be a kind of military pilot who'd been shot down.[2] But when the day came that Thompson came to Vancouver, there had been some "misunderstanding" and he hadn't been told of the "crewcut", so the hairstyle seen in this episode was a "compromise" of sorts.[2]
Writing and filming[edit]
Carter said that while "Colony" was a "crystallization of the series' mythology", it "came about inadvertently", following David Duchovny's suggestion to face an alien bounty hunter. Thus he sat with the actor and decided to also add Mulder's disappeared sister.[4] The alien weapon, described by the cast and crew as "the ice pick", was done with an air hose that ran through Brian Thompson's arm. To create an unique and otherworldly sound made by the weapon used by the hunter, several sound effects were considered before co-producer Paul Rabwin voiced the noise himself on a microphone.[5]
Carter had initially wanted to set the first season episode "Ice" at the North Pole, but this was too ambitious at the time. "Colony" provided an opportunity to create an episode using such a setting.[6] Some of the interior shots on the icebreaker were filmed on the HMCS Mackenzie, a decommissioned Canadian Forces destroyer, which was also used in the episode's follow-up, "End Game", and the later second season episode "Død Kalm".[7]
Reception[edit]
"Colony" premiered on the Fox network on February 10, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on December 11, 1995.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.3 with a 17 share, meaning that roughly 10.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 17 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode.[9] A total of 9.8 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[9]
In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated a B+. The review noted that "untangling this web of shifting allegiances and identities requires intense concentration. Hang on, though; the payoff's worth it".[10] Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen rated the episode an A, noting that it was "X-Files in top form". He praised how the character of Samantha Mulder was presented, saying that "In the seasons to come, we end up with enough Samantha's [sic] to fill a clown-car, but here, the reveal is shocking, effective, and unsettling"; and also felt that the episode's flashforward cold open was particularly well-handled.[11] Michelle Bush, in her book Myth-X, has noted that "Colony" presents a moral dilemma for the characters, noting that "on the surface Mulder's quest appears righteous, however, the results of his quest would suggest otherwise", and adding "generally the ideology that focuses on a single life's (be that human or alien) importance is successful, whereas Mulder's ideology of finding the truth at all costs is not".[12] Duchovny's portrayal of Fox Mulder in this episode has been cited as an example of the character's reversal of traditional gender roles—his openness and vulnerability when confronted with what he believes is his prodigal sister casts him "in a pattern typically engendered as female."[13]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp. 199–201
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Frank Spotnitz (2005). "Audio Commentary for "End Game"". The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction (DVD) (FOX Home Entertainment).
3.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 153
4.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (narrator) (1994–1995). "Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: Colony". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (featurette) (Fox).
5.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin, Brian Thompson (narrators) (1994–1995). "Behind the Truth: Bounty Hunter". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (featurette) (Fox).
6.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 115
7.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 116
8.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (June 13, 2010). ""Colony"/"End Game"/"Fearful Symmetry" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Bush, p. 60
13.Jump up ^ Lavery et al, p.107
BibliographyBush, Michelle (2008). Myth-X. Lulu. ISBN 1-4357-4688-0.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lavery, David; Hague, Angela; Cartwright, Marla (1996). Deny All Knowledge: Reading The X-Files. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-2717-3.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Colony" on TheXFiles.com
"Colony" at the Internet Movie Database
"Colony" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 2) episodes



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End Game (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

"End Game"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 17
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
2X17
Original air date
February 17, 1995
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Brian Thompson as Pilot
Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder
Steven Williams as X
Peter Donat as William Mulder
Garry Davey as Captain
Colin Cunningham as Lt. Wilmer
Allan Lysell as Able Gardner
J.B. Bivens as Sharpshooter
Bonnie Hay as Field Doctor
Oliver Becker as Second Doctor
Beatrice Zeilinger as Paramedic
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Colony" Next →
 "Fearful Symmetry"

List of The X-Files episodes
"End Game" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 17, 1995. It was directed by Rob Bowman, and written by Frank Spotnitz. "End Game" featured guest appearances by Megan Leitch, Peter Donat and Brian Thompson, saw Steven Williams reprise his role as X. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology. "End Game" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.2, being watched by 10.7 million households in its initial broadcast. It received positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Scully is kidnapped by an alien bounty hunter and Mulder offers his sister Samantha (Leitch) forward as a ransom. However, Samantha is merely one of several clones created as part of a human-alien hybrid project, leading Mulder to pursue the bounty hunter for the truth about her disappearance. "End Game" is a two-part episode, continuing the plot from the previous episode, "Colony".
"End Game" was the first episode of the series written by Spotnitz, who eventually went on to become one of the series' executive producers.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Filming
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
The USS Allegiance, an American nuclear submarine, is patrolling the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska when it comes across a craft below the ice that is emitting a radio signal. The Allegiance is ordered to fire upon the craft by Pacific Command. However, the craft manages to disable the sub using a high-pitched frequency, stranding it far below the ice.
Continuing from the cliffhanger ending in "Colony", Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is beaten and kidnapped by "Mulder", who is really the Bounty Hunter in disguise. When the real Mulder (David Duchovny) finds the wrecked hotel room, his sister Samantha explains that the Bounty Hunter will set up a hostage exchange to swap Scully for her. She further explains that the Bounty Hunter can only be killed by piercing the base of his neck, and that his toxic alien blood is deadly to humans. Finally, Samantha reveals that the clones are the progeny of two original aliens, and worked at abortion clinics to gain access to fetal tissue. Their objective was to set up an extraterrestrial colony on Earth, an effort that has gone as far back as the 1940s. However, because the clones' experiments were considered to have tainted their alien race, the Bounty Hunter was sent to kill them.
Walter Skinner meets Mulder and Samantha at Mulder's apartment, telling them that the remaining clones are missing. Mulder receives a call from Scully, who tells him that the Bounty Hunter seeks an exchange for Samantha. Mulder and Samantha are sent to a bridge near Bethesda while Skinner hides nearby with a sharpshooter. After the exchange takes place, Samantha attacks the Bounty Hunter. During the struggle, the sharpshooter fires upon the Bounty Hunter, and both he and Samantha fall into a river. An anguished Mulder tearfully apologizes to his father, Bill, for losing her again. His father leaves him a note from Samantha, which provides Mulder with the address of a Maryland clinic where they can meet if separated. Mulder hopes that she is alive, but soon gets a call from Scully reporting that Samantha's body has been found. After Scully ends the call, she discovers Samantha's body dissolving into a green liquid.
Meanwhile, inside the clinic, Mulder finds multiple clones of Samantha working on fetuses in labs similar to that of the clones. They reveal that they manipulated Mulder by sending one of their own to pose as "Samantha" in an effort to have him protect her original clone. They also claim to know the real Samantha's location. Mulder, realizing he has been duped, initially refuses to help and starts to leave, but is knocked unconscious by the arriving Bounty Hunter, who proceeds to kill the Samantha clones and burn down the clinic. When no trace of the clones are found, Mulder meets with X at the Kennedy Center, demanding to know the Bounty Hunter's location. X says that the Bounty Hunter's craft below the Beaufort Sea has been found, and that a naval fleet has been sent to destroy it. Mulder heads there, and e-mails Scully to tell her not to follow him.
Scully goes to Skinner for help, but he initially refuses. Scully also summons X to Mulder's apartment, but he turns her down. On his way out, X is confronted by Skinner in an elevator. After the two men get into a vicious physical altercation, X divulges Mulder's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Mulder finds the stranded Allegiance, with its sail broken through a patch of shallow ice. Inside, he finds what seems to be the sub's only surviving crewman, whom Mulder correctly guesses is the disguised Bounty Hunter. The two struggle, during which Mulder becomes exposed to the Bounty Hunter's toxic blood. The Bounty Hunter claims that Samantha is still alive before dumping Mulder off the sail and submerging the Allegiance; Mulder is nearly cut in half with the sub's diving plane in the process. Mulder is discovered and rushed to the field hospital seen at the beginning of "Colony", where Scully — having learned that the alien blood contains a retrovirus that dies in cold temperatures — convinces the doctors to keep him in an ice tub, saving his life.
As Mulder's condition stabilizes, Scully writes a field report crediting science with detecting the retrovirus and saving Mulder. She contends that the retrovirus is of a mysterious origin, and reports that neither the Bounty Hunter nor the Allegiance have been found. When Mulder regains consciousness, he tells Scully that his experiences did not give him the answers he had been searching for, but that they have given him renewed "faith to keep looking".[1][2]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
This was the first episode of the series written by Frank Spotnitz.[3] Spotnitz, who came up with the idea to bring back Samantha Mulder in "Colony", wrote this episode, his first credited work on the show.[4] According to Spotnitz, he along with Chris Carter, were overly ambitious when writing this episode.[3] Since this was Spotnitz's debut as a television writer, he got significant help from Carter to put the script together.[3] All of the scenes originally pitched by Spotnitz were kept, except for a car chase scene that ended with a crash, and one where Mulder mistakes a federal marshal for the bounty hunter. The scenes were cut due to time restraints during filming.[4] Spotnitz later became a frequent collaborator on many of the subsequent mythology episodes of the show, as well as co-writing the two feature films.
It turned out in this episode that the Samantha Mulder (Megan Leitch) who appeared was a clone.[3] Carter did not want it to be the real Samantha, since that would have been "straight science fiction" and it was too "ridiculous" to give too many answers.[3] Spotnitz further explained that the production crew never saw The X-Files as a "science fiction show", but more of a show that incorporated science fiction, and that this and previous episode "Colony" were more of a "suspense thriller" than any other genre.[3] Chris Carter described the "Colony" and "End Game" two-parter as the "backbone of the show, the romantic quest of Mulder for the truth and Scully as well", and that it led Scully to believe in the conspiracy.[5]
Filming[edit]

 

 Interior shots were filmed in the HMCS Mackenzie.
The motel scene with the bounty hunter and Dana Scully was shot on a sound stage in Vancouver, Canada in a simple motel room set. The scene featuring Scully being beaten up by the bounty hunter was primarily performed by a stunt woman.[3] The stiletto weapon, often referred to as the "gimlet", used by the bounty hunter was constructed from aluminium and acrylic, and activated by a pneumatic hose hidden in actor Brian Thompson's sleeve.[6] The grunt Scully utters when thrown through a table was insisted on by Standards and Practices, giving the reasoning that the show needed to make it clear for the viewers that she was not dead. According to executive producer Frank Spotnitz it was an "arcane, bizarre logic that you have to deal with when you're putting a show on network television."[3] As director Rob Bowman was dissatisfied with the first take of Skinner shoving X against the elevator wall, Mitch Pileggi and Steven Williams decided to do the stunt for real, and Pileggi did it with so much strength that it broke the back of the elevator scenery.[7] Williams' background in fight choreography, stemming from his role in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, allowed him to help in choreographing the brawl.[8]
One hundred and forty tons of snow and ice were trucked into a soundstage to create the scene with the submarine towards the end of the episode,[6] and the stage had to be refrigerated for five days. The control tower scenery was able to rise or lower only five feet, leading to restrictions such as filming on black backdrops.[5] A decommissioned destroyer, Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Mackenzie, was rented from the Royal Canadian Navy and used for the submarine interior. It was reused two episodes later for interior shots in "Død Kalm".[9][10]
Reception[edit]


...the sad paradox of Mulder's quest is that you can't want to believe and trust no one. ... In the end, despite near death, despite all the set-backs, he still has the faith to go on searching. He believes, he'll follow any lie no matter how outlandish, because maybe, just maybe, he might find that final thread that will give his life meaning. And we watch, hoping the same might be true for ourselves.
—The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen on the Mulder's quest for the truth.[11]
"End Game" premiered on the Fox network on February 17, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on December 18, 1995.[12] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.2 with a 19 share, meaning that roughly 11.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 19 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[13] A total of 10.7 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[13]
The episode has been met with positive reviews from critics. In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated an A-, being called "an exhausting, essential chapter, boasting the series' most visually stunning finale".[14] Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen rated the episode an A, noting that it was "X-Files in top form". He felt that the fight between Skinner and X was "one of the season's great moments", although he derided the use of Scully in a "heroine-as-victim" role.[11] Michelle Bush, in her book Myth-X, has noted that "End Game" is "a good example of the basic premises that Mulder and Scully cannot succeed without the other", and serves to highlight "the danger of making someone else's choice for them."[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp.202–204
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.154–156
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Frank Spotnitz (narrator) (2005). "Audio Commentary for "End Game"". The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction (DVD) (Fox).
4.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, p.117–118
5.^ Jump up to: a b Chris Carter (narrator) (1994–1995). "Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "End Game"". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (featurette) (Fox).
6.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p.204
7.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (1994–1995). "The Truth About Season Two". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (featurette) (Fox).
8.Jump up ^ Lowry, p.77
9.Jump up ^ Lovece, p.157
10.Jump up ^ Edwards, p.116
11.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (June 13, 2010). ""Colony"/"End Game"/"Fearful Symmetry" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". A.V. Club. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
12.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p.249
14.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Bush, p.62
BibliographyBush, Michelle (2008). Myth-X. Lulu. ISBN 1-4357-4688-0.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"End Game" on TheXFiles.com
"End Game" at the Internet Movie Database
"End Game" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 
 
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
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Fearful Symmetry (The X-Files)

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"Fearful Symmetry"
The X-Files episode
Feraful symmetry x files.jpg
Ganesha on the loose.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 18
Directed by
James Whitmore, Jr.
Written by
Steve De Jarnatt
Production code
2X18
Original air date
February 24, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Jayne Atkinson as Willa Ambrose
Lance Guest as Kyle Lang
Jack Rader as Ed Meecham
Charles André as Ray Floyd
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Lenno Britos as Janitor #1
Garvin Cross as Red Head Kid
Tom Glass as Trucker
Jody St. Michael as Sophie[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "End Game" Next →
 "Død Kalm"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Fearful Symmetry" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 24, 1995. It was written by Steve De Jarnatt and directed by James Whitmore, Jr. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Fearful Symmetry" received a Nielsen rating of 10.1 and was watched by 9.6 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from critics but later won an EMA Award.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate the death of a federal construction worker and the destruction of various property that can only be tied to an escaped elephant. Unfortunately, the only witnesses claim to have seen no animals which might have caused the turmoil. Soon, Mulder and Scully discover the local zoo whose claim to fame is that they've never had a successful animal birth.
"Fearful Symmetry" takes its title from a line in the William Blake poem "The Tyger". Filming for the episode faced several hurdles. Live elephants and tigers were used. Co-Producer J.P. Finn claimed that the hardest part of filming the episode was getting an elephant. The biggest hurdle when filming scenes with the tiger were keeping it "calm and warm", due to the cool nature of Vancouver. Due to anti-exploitation laws, several scenes had to be filmed in the country.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Fairfield, Idaho, two janitors witness an invisible force storm down a city street; a road worker is later killed by the force on the highway. The next day, an elephant suddenly materializes in front of an oncoming big rig. The driver manages to stop in time, but the elephant soon collapses and dies, over forty miles away from where it disappeared the night before at the Fairfield Zoo.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) survey the damage in the city, which appears to have been caused by an elephant even though none was seen. Ed Meecham, an animal handler at the zoo, recounts how he came to the elephant's locked cage to find it empty. His boss, Willa Ambrose, tells the agents that the zoo is in danger of closing due to other animal disappearances. She blames the zoo's decline on an animal rights group which is known to free captive animals. The group's leader Kyle Lang, who denies any involvement in the elephant's release. Lang tells them that Ambrose is being sued by the Malawi government over a lowland gorilla she took from their country ten years prior.
Mulder contacts Frohike and Byers, who say that Fairfield is known for its animal disappearances and UFO sightings. They also mention Ambrose's gorilla, who is known to communicate using American Sign Language. Meanwhile, Scully follows one of Lang's activists as he sneaks into the zoo, running into Meecham inside. The activist attempts to free a tiger, but after a flash of light, the tiger seemingly disappears. The activist is promptly mauled to death, with the killing captured on his night vision camera. When questioned, Lang denies any responsibility for the death. Ambrose introduces the agents to the gorilla, Sophie, who has been cowering in her cage and expresses an apparent fear of light.
Scully performs a necropsy on the elephant, revealing it to be pregnant — which is impossible, since no animal at the zoo has ever brought a pregnancy to term. The tiger reappears at a Boise construction site, and is shot dead by Meecham when it charges at Ambrose; the zoo is shut down the next day over the incident. Mulder tells Ambrose that the tiger was also pregnant, and explains his theory that extraterrestrial aliens are impregnating endangered animals as part of "their own Noah's Ark." Mulder thinks that Sophie is pregnant and afraid of her baby's abduction. Sophie confirms Mulder's suspicions when she makes signs for "baby go flying light".
Sheriff's deputies order Ambrose to release Sophie into protective custody, presumably to be sent back to Malawi. Ambrose unsuccessfully seeks help from Lang, her former boyfriend, but he advises to let Sophie return to the wild. Lang later goes to the see Ambrose at the warehouse where Sophie is being prepped for shipping, but finds her cage empty. He is then mysteriously killed by a falling crate. Scully finds that Lang was struck with a cattle prod and suspects Ambrose of killing him, but she claims that Meecham is responsible. Mulder goes to arrest Meecham, who is keeping an angered Sophie at another warehouse near Boise. Meecham suddenly locks Mulder in Sophie's room, where the enraged gorilla attacks and injures him.
A bright light appears and causes Sophie to vanish, but not before she gives Mulder a final message in sign language. When Mulder gives the message to Ambrose the next day, she says it means "man save man." Ambrose and the agents are then called to the highway, where Sophie has been struck by a car and killed. Ambrose and Meecham are charged with manslaughter for Lang's death. As the agents leave Idaho, Mulder says through narration that he believes alien conservationists were behind the events in Fairfield.[1][2]
Production[edit]
"Fearful Symmetry" was written by Steve De Jarnatt and directed by James Whitmore, Jr.[3] Co-Producer J.P. Finn claimed that the hardest part of filming the episode was getting an elephant; this action required a permit for the animal to pass the border into Vancouver.[4] Finn later revealed that the elephant used for the episode, named "Bubbles", was fantastic to work with.[4] There was initially concern from the producers that the elephant would not run towards the truck for the episode's teaser. Instead, however, the elephant thoroughly enjoyed the truck and the producers had difficulty getting the creature away from it.[5]
The producers for the show ran into issues with the legality of a circus animal in public streets. Several laws had been passed in British Columbia that prohibited the "use or appearance" of these animals as a way to protect them from abuse or exploitation. In order to circumvent these rules, scenes filmed with Bubbles took place "on a quiet country road" in South Surrey, where these laws were not in effect. A live tiger was also used for the episode. The biggest hurdle when filming was keeping the tiger "calm and warm", due to the cool nature of Vancouver.[6] The episode's title comes from a line in the William Blake poem "The Tyger".[5] The fictional construction site where the tiger appears, "Blake Towers", is named after the poet.[5] The elephant's name, "Ganesha" is named after the Hindu God.[2]
Reception[edit]
"Fearful Symmetry" was first broadcast in the United States on February 24, 1995, on the Fox network.[3] In its original broadcast, it was watched by 9.6 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings system.[7] It received an 10.1 rating/17 share among viewers meaning that 10.1 percent of all households in the United States, and 17 percent of all people watching television at the time, viewed the episode.[7] The episode later won an EMA Award for its environmental message.[8]
The episode received mostly mixed reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a C, writing, "Aside from a well-executed invisible-elephant rampage, this one's pretty much on automatic pilot".[9] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club also graded it as a C, calling it "forgettable, and under-baked; not terrible enough to be a complete failure, but forgettable enough".[10] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a moderately negative review and awarded it a 4 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this episode felt more like a statement by the writer regarding animal rights than an episode of [The X-Files]. The plot doesn’t seem to know which direction it wants to explore, and ultimately, elements of the episode contradict each other."[11] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode two stars out of five. The two wrote that, despite the episode having "rare anger" and a "genuine passion behind" its conservation message, the entry was not "a very good story".[12] Shearman and Pearson called the plot "so confusing that all that impact [of the teaser] soon dissipates."[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 205–206
2.^ Jump up to: a b Lovece, pp. 158–159
3.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–95.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, pp. 111–118
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, p. 206
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer nad Pittson, pp. 72–74
7.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
8.Jump up ^ "IMDB". Retrieved 2007-07-08.
9.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (13 June 2008). ""Colony"/"End Game"/"Fearful Symmetry"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Fearful Symmetry". Critical Myth. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 47–48
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 080651745X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Fearful Symmetry" on TheXFiles.com
"Fearful Symmetry" at the Internet Movie Database
"Fearful Symmetry" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1995 television episodes


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Død Kalm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"Død Kalm"
The X-Files episode
Mulder dod kalm.jpg
Mulder is ravaged by unnatural aging. Many critics wrote negatively of the make-up effects.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 19
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Teleplay by
Howard Gordon
Alex Gansa
Story by
Howard Gordon
Production code
2X19
Original air date
March 10, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

John Savage as Henry Trondheim
Mar Anderson as Halverson
Vladimir Kulich as Olafsson
David Cubitt as Captain Barclay, US Navy
Dmitri Chepovetsky as Lieutenant Richard Harper, US Navy
Claire Riley as Dr. Laskos
Stephen Dimopoulos as Ionesco
John McConnach as Sailor
Bob Metcalfe as Nurse[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Fearful Symmetry" Next →
 "Humbug"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Død Kalm" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 10, 1995. The story was written by Howard Gordon, the teleplay was written by Gordon and Alex Gansa, and the episode was directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Død Kalm" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, being watched by 10.2 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly mixed-to-positive reviews.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully are called in when a boatload of survivors from a U.S. Navy destroyer are found. What particularly catches Agent Mulder's attention is that all of these sailors appear to have aged many decades in the course of a few days. Mulder and Scully travel to Norway where they find a civilian fisherman who is willing to take them to the destroyer's last known position.
"Død Kalm" was written to make use of the show's access to a navy destroyer that had previously featured in "Colony" and "End Game." The episode was originally intended as a way to give the production crew a rest after several demanding episodes had been shot, but the episode became one of the most difficult to film of the second season.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Filming
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In the Norwegian Sea, chaos erupts on board the USS Ardent, an American destroyer escort. Due to mysterious yet unspecified events, half of the Ardent's crew board lifeboats and abandon ship. Eighteen hours later, they are spotted by a Canadian fishing vessel; however, in that short span of time, the young crew members have undergone rapid aging.
Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) visit the ship's sole surviving crew member, Lt. Harper, who has been quarantined at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. Scully finds that Harper, despite being in his twenties, has aged to the point of being unrecognizable. Mulder explains that the Ardent vanished at the 65th parallel, a location with a history of ship disappearances. Mulder believes that a "wrinkle in time" exists there, and that the Ardent was the subject of government experimentation related to the Philadelphia Experiment from World War II.
In Norway, Mulder and Scully get Henry Trondheim (John Savage), a naval trawler captain, to take them to the Ardent's last known location. After crashing into the bow of the Ardent, Mulder, Scully, and Trondheim find signs of advanced corrosion, even though the Ardent is only a few years old. Below decks, the party finds the mummified remains of several crew members. They also find the wizened commanding officer of the Ardent, Captain Barclay, who claims that "time got lost" after his ship encountered a "glowing light" in the ocean. Trondheim's boat is stolen and his first mate is murdered.
Trondheim is later attacked by a Norwegian pirate whaler named Olafsson, who has not aged despite being on the ship for the past two days. Mulder, Scully, and Trondheim eventually begin to age unnaturally. Scully develops a theory that the Ardent is sailing near a metallic object beneath the ocean, and that it has caused free radicals to rapidly oxidize their bodies and age them. When Mulder notices that the ship's sewage pipe is the only one not corroded through, the agents realize that something from the ocean contaminated the Ardent's potable water and led to the aging; Olafsson's men remained unaffected due to their consumption of recycled water from the sewage system. Desperate to survive, Trondheim kills Olafsson and sets out to keep the water for himself.
Scully learns from blood tests that the contaminated water causes rapid cellular damage and dramatically increases sodium chloride in the body. She tries to ration the drinkable water amongst the three, but discovers Trondheim attempting to hoard what little that remains. Trondheim locks Scully out of the sewage hold, forcing her to use minuscule supplies to keep Mulder alive. The corrosion eventually eats through the ship's hull, flooding the hold and drowning Trondheim. The agents both lose consciousness shortly before Navy rescuers arrive on the Ardent. Scully comes to at the hospital, where she is told that her written observations on the case helped naval doctors reverse their aging and save Mulder from near-certain death. Scully says that she wants to return to the Ardent for more research, but the doctor tells her that the ship sank shortly after their rescue.[1]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode makes several explicit references and allusions to the reported "Philadelphia Project."
Writing[edit]
Series creator Chris Carter asked Howard Gordon to write "Død Kalm" because the X-Files had been given access to a Canadian navy destroyer for the previous episodes "Colony" and "End Game."[2] The episode was originally intended as a way to give the production crew a rest after several "demanding" episodes had been shot.[3] Before the script had been finished, Carter mentioned that he believed the episode would be a "great rest for everyone."[2]
In the book The Unofficial X-Files Companion, N.E. Genge notes that aspects of the episode bear striking resemblances to the Philadelphia Experiment, the alleged naval military experiment.[4] Indeed, the episode contains several mentions and allusions to the experiment.[5]
Filming[edit]

 

HMCS Mackenzie stood in for the USS Ardent.
HMCS Mackenzie, a decommissioned Canadian Forces destroyer, was used for interior and exterior shots as the USS Ardent.[6] The ship had previously been used to shoot interior scenes for the climax of the episode "End Game".[7] The ship was repainted in order to more closely resemble an abandoned ship, a technique Graeme Murray referred to as "paint-aged."[6] Originally docked at New Westminster Quay, the ship was relocated to the more remote location of Barry Point to avoid night lights when filming exterior shots of the ship.[6] The move cost the show approximately $10,000.[6] The Mackenzie, once the lead ship of its class, was stripped and scuttled shortly after filming ended and now serves as an artificial reef off the Georgia Strait.[6]
In order to ease filming, the producers sought out a set that could portray both a bar and a hospital, a task initially dubbed "impossible." However, Jericho Sailing Club in Vancouver later stood in for both the Norwegian bar and the hospital to which Mulder and Scully are taken.[8] The cast and crew of "Død Kalm" reportedly found the dual-set "amazing."[8] The location of the set was only a short distance away from where David Duchovny was living.[8] The producers subsequently decided to try and find possible locations closer to where the main stars were living in order to ease future filming.[8]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Død Kalm" premiered on the Fox network on March 10, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on January 16, 1996.[9] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.7, with a 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned into the episode. It was viewed by 10.2 million households.[10]
"Død Kalm" received mostly mixed to moderately positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave "Død Kalm" a B, noting that, "Despite clumsy makeup, isolation pays off again, and Mulder and Scully get to try a little tenderness."[11] Zack Handlen from The A.V. Club, despite noting his original dislike for the episode, awarded it a B rating and wrote, "This episode works, almost in spite of itself. There are so many nice little moments here [...] it's a script that pauses from the constant horror the show had been serving up for several episodes in a row to just tell an unsettling, ultimately moving tale of two friends who look into the abyss and somehow don't fall."[12] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a 5 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Overall, this episode was one of those very nicely executed yet fatally flawed creations. The concept is borrowed, the logic inconsistent, and the whole thing would fail without the perfect direction and score."[13] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three-and-a-half stars out of five. The two noted that, while the episode's premise "brims over with atmosphere", the ending of "Død Kalm" was extremely lacking. Shearman and Pearson argued "that if the writers can only devise a plot which paints them into a corner so awkward there's no realistic way they can get out, then they shouldn't write the story at all."[14] The two also criticized the episode's make up. They noted that "Scully looks like a credible old lady, Mulder rather more like a man wearing several layers of latex."[14]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 207–208
2.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 209
3.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 208
4.Jump up ^ Genge, p. 194
5.Jump up ^ "Død Kalm". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 19. 10 March 1995. Fox.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Gradnitzer p. 73
7.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 157
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d Gradnitzer p. 74
9.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
10.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
11.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
12.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (June 27, 2010). ""Død Kalm"/"Humbug"/"The Calusari"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
13.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Dod Kalm". Critical Myth. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 48–49
BibliographyGenge, N.E. (1999). The Unofficial X-Files Companion. Crown Trade. ISBN 0-517-88601-4.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 0-9759446-9-X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Død Kalm" on TheXFiles.com
"Død Kalm" at the Internet Movie Database
"Død Kalm" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1995 television episodes


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Humbug (The X-Files)

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"Humbug"
The X-Files episode
A man, with a puzzle-inspired tattoo on his head, consumes a raw fish.
The Conundrum consumes a raw fish.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 20
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Darin Morgan
Production code
2X20
Original air date
March 31, 1995
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Jim Rose as Dr. Blockhead
Wayne Grace as Sheriff James Hamilton
Gordon Tipple as Hepcat Helm
Alex Diakun as Curator
John Payne as Jerald Glazebrook
Alvin Law as Reverend
Blair Slater as older Glazebrook Child
Devin Walker as younger Glazebrook Child
Debis Simpson as Waiter
Michael J. Anderson as Mr. Nutt
The Enigma as The Conundrum
Vincent Schiavelli as Lanny
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Død Kalm" Next →
 "The Calusari"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Humbug" is the twentieth episode of the second season of American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Darin Morgan and directed by Kim Manners. Morgan had previously appeared in a guest role as the Flukeman in an earlier episode of that season called "The Host". "Humbug" aired in the United States on March 31, 1995 on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Humbug" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.3, being watched by 9.8 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received generally positive reviews and critics appreciated Morgan's unique writing style.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders in a community of former circus sideshow performers. Mulder believes the murderer to be the mysterious "Fiji mermaid", which Scully argues is only a hoax—a mere humbug.
"Humbug" was the first explicitly comedic episode in the series and Morgan later wrote three more scripts for the series that continued his comic take on the show. According to critical analysis of the episode, "Humbug" explored themes of "Otherness" and difference. Guest stars included real-life sideshow performers Jim Rose and The Enigma, as well as actors Michael J. Anderson and Vincent Schiavelli. "Humbug" was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Cinema Audio Society Award.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) travel to Gibsonton, Florida, to investigate a 28-year series of attacks by an unknown assailant in a community of former circus sideshow performers. Among the people they meet are "self-made freaks" human blockhead Dr. Blockhead (Jim Rose) and his "geek" sidekick The Conundrum (The Enigma), who will eat anything, but says nothing.
Mulder and Scully stay at the Gulf Breeze trailer court, whose name is a reference to the 1987 Gulf Breeze UFO incident, also mentioned in season 1 episode, "Fallen Angel".[1] Here, they meet the distrustful manager Mr. Nutt (Michael J. Anderson), and Lanny (Vincent Schiavelli), an alcoholic with an underdeveloped conjoined twin named Leonard. The agents hear a story about the legendary Fiji mermaid, a common sideshow act in the 19th century that generally turned out to be a monkey with a fish tail attached—the "humbug" referred to by the episode's title.[2] Despite Scully's skepticism, Mulder is intrigued because of what look like simian tracks left by the mystery attacker.
They eventually discover that the attacker is Lanny's twin, Leonard, who is able to detach himself from Lanny's body. According to Lanny, Leonard attacks people and attempts to burrow into them because he is looking for a new brother to replace Lanny, who is dying from liver failure due to years of alcohol abuse. Lanny voluntarily locks himself in the local jail in an effort to keep Leonard from escaping, but dies during the night, and Leonard is able to slip through the bars on the cell window and flee. Mulder and Scully try to capture Leonard, but he gets away. They find The Conundrum lying on the ground, rubbing his stomach, apparently having been attacked by Leonard. As Dr. Blockhead prepares to leave town with The Conundrum, he comments to Scully that with modern science eradicating genetic anomalies, it will be up to self-made freaks like him to remind people that "nature abhors normality". The Conundrum looks unwell and Mulder asks what the matter is. The Conundrum—in his only line of the episode—replies, "probably something I ate".[3]
Production[edit]

 

Twin Peaks regular Michael J. Anderson appeared in this episode as Mr. Nutt.
"Humbug" was written by Darin Morgan; it was his first script for the series. Earlier in the second season, he appeared in the second episode "The Host" as the Flukeman. He also helped his brother Glen Morgan—already a regular writer on The X-Files—with the script for the following episode, "Blood".[4] Series creator Chris Carter offered Darin Morgan a permanent place on The X-Files writing team, which he reluctantly accepted. Morgan said he was uncomfortable initially, stating "One of the reasons I was uncomfortable joining the staff is that I'm a comedy writer and this isn't a comedy show, so I was trying more or less to have an episode with a little bit of humor, without telling anybody what I was doing."[5] Glen suggested that he write an episode about sideshow freaks.[6] Before writing the episode Darin Morgan watched a tape of Jim Rose's circus sideshow and subsequently cast Rose and The Enigma as Dr. Blockhead and The Conundrum, respectively.[6] Other guest stars were Twin Peaks regular Michael J. Anderson as Mr. Nutt and Vincent Schiavelli as Lanny.
Morgan's script turned out to be the most comedic episode of the series so far. The departure from The X-Files' usual style made some of the crew, including director Kim Manners, uncomfortable, and some of the more explicitly comic scenes were cut.[4][6] After "Humbug", Morgan went on to write three more comedy-infused stories for the show: "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", "War of the Coprophages" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space". David Duchovny later commented, "what I loved about his scripts was that he seemed to be trying to destroy the show."[4]
Themes[edit]
In his 2002 book Strange TV, M. Keith Booker describes "Humbug" as an important episode in the show's "ironization" of its exploration of "Otherness"; from the start it challenges the characters'—and viewers'—assumptions about difference. In the teaser, what appears to be a monster is in fact a suburban father and eventual murder victim. When Mulder and Scully are quick to suspect the freak show performers of murder, Dr. Blockhead, a self-made freak and "postmodern celebration of difference", confronts their prejudice and bemoans a future with no genetic anomalies.[7] The agents, with their conventional appearance are considered outsiders, and are quickly (and correctly) judged to be working for the FBI.[8] According to Booker, the freak show characters from the episode exemplify the concept of the Other. He contrasts the perspective of "Humbug", which celebrates Otherness, with that of The X-Files overall in which "Other" is generally synonymous with danger and evil, much like Leonard.[9] Despite this association between difference and malevolence generally found in The X-Files, the show meets the audience's need for difference and diversity, in its sheer number of strange and different characters. This need for something beyond everyday existence is mirrored by the main characters in Mulder's "wanting to believe" in the paranormal and Scully's Catholic faith.[9] In "Humbug", this is highlighted by Dr. Blockhead's argument that the freaks add a richness to life that will be eliminated by genetic advancements.[9]
According to Rhonda Wilcox and J. P. Williams in "What Do You Think? The X-Files, Liminality, and Gender Pleasure", "Humbug" is about "difference, sex, and looking". Regarding The X-Files as a whole, they say that the relationship between Mulder and Scully is non-sexual and "quasi-marital".[10] Although sharing a degree of intimacy that allows them to share each other's space, they avoid a sexual or objectifying gaze: "They look into each other's eyes and argue ideas, rather than gazing at each other's bodies."[10] This status quo is challenged in this episode as the objectifying gaze is highlighted and deconstructed, although not between the partners themselves. According to Wilcox and Williams, a key scene involves Agent Scully and Lanny. When Lanny goes to wake Scully in her trailer one morning, he catches a glimpse of her breasts; she inadvertently exposes herself as she in turn catches sight of Lanny's uncovered parasitic twin; "each gaze involves the objectification of difference".[10] This objectification is emphasized by the fact that Scully's body is not normally revealed in this way.[10]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Humbug" was first broadcast in the United States on March 31, 1995, on the Fox network.[11] In its original broadcast it was watched by 9.8 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings system. It received a 10.3 rating/18 share among viewers meaning that 10.3 percent of all households in the US, and 18 percent of all people watching television at the time, viewed the episode.[11] The episode was nominated for an Edgar Award for 'Best Episode in a Television Series' and a Cinema Audio Society Award for 'Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Series'.[4][12]
In a 2010 review of the episode, The A.V. Club's Toff VanDerWerff gave it a "Grade A" rating. He noted the difference between the style of the episode and previous stories of the series, saying that at first, it "feel[s] like it might be a very special Murder, She Wrote or something," and that later, "we're clearly in some other show entirely, the only links in the continuity chain being Mulder and Scully themselves." Including Morgan's other scripts for the show, VanDerWerff called his writing "deeply, deeply funny", but said that "Humbug" "may be [his] weakest script". He particularly praised the ending of the episode, saying "there are few other TV writers that would come up with something as haunting and as perfectly understanding of the human condition as the final reveal of who the killer is."[13] Also writing for The A.V. Club in 2010, Zack Handlen called it "a terrific episode ... well-written and odd".[14]
Ted Cox of the Daily Herald called "Humbug" "the pivotal episode of The X-Files."[15] Robert Goodwin said of the episode "Talk about offbeat. It's very theatrical and grandiose. The trick was being careful that it didn't become like a bad Vincent Price movie, but it worked out well."[5] Reviewers for website IGN named "Humbug" the tenth best standalone X-Files episode of the entire series.[16] Topless Robot named it the sixth funniest episode of the series.[17]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 120–21
2.Jump up ^ Booker (2002), p. 131
3.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), pp. 210–12
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Kirby, Jonathan (October 29, 2007), "Not Just a Fluke: How Darin Morgan Saved The X-Files", PopMatters (PopMatters Media), retrieved July 11, 2010
5.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards (1997), p. 120
6.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry (1995), p. 212
7.Jump up ^ Booker (2002), p. 132
8.Jump up ^ Booker (2002), p. 129
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Booker (2002), p. 133
10.^ Jump up to: a b c d Wilcox & Williams (1996), p. 112
11.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1995), p. 249
12.Jump up ^ "The Cinema Audio Society Awards", Cinema Audio Society, archived from the original on July 25, 2011, retrieved July 26, 2010
13.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (June 20, 2010), ""Død Kalm"/"Humbug"/"The Calusari"", The A.V. Club (The Onion, Inc), retrieved July 17, 2010
14.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (June 27, 2010), ""F. Emasculata"/"Soft Light"/"Our Town"/"Anasazi"", The A.V. Club (The Onion, Inc), retrieved July 17, 2010
15.Jump up ^ Cox, Ted (November 21, 1997), "Chuckling On The Dark Side: Fox's Self-Important 'Millennium' Gets A Delightful Dose Of Humor", Daily Herald (Paddock Publications, Inc), retrieved July 17, 2010
16.Jump up ^ Collura, Scott, et al (May 12, 2008), "IGN's 10 Favorite X-Files Standalone Episodes", IGN, retrieved November 15, 2011
17.Jump up ^ Bricken, Rob (October 13, 2009). "The 10 Funniest X-Files Episodes". Topless Robot. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
BibliographyBooker, M. Keith (2002). Strange TV: Innovative Television Series From The Twilight Zone To The X-Files. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-32373-9.
Edwards, Ted (1997). X-Files Confidential: The Unauthorized X-Philes Compendium. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified: The Unauthorized Guide. Citadel. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth Is Out There: The Official Guide To The X-Files. HarperPrism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Wilcox, Rhonda; Williams, J. P. (1996). "What Do You Think? The X-Files, Liminality, and Gender Pleasure". In Lavery, David; Hague, Angela; Cartwright, Marla. Deny All Knowledge: Reading The X Files. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-2717-3.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Humbug" on TheXFiles.com
"Humbug" at the Internet Movie Database
"Humbug" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 
 
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

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1995 television episodes


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The Calusari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

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"The Calusari"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 21
Directed by
Mike Vejar
Written by
Sara Charno
Production code
2X21
Original air date
April 14, 1995
Running time
43 minutes
Guest actors

Joel Palmer as Charlie/Michael Holvey
Lilyan Chauvin as Golda
Helene Clarkson as Maggie Holvey
Ric Reid as Steve Holvey
Oliver and Jeremy Isaac Wildsmith as Teddy Holvey
Christine Willes as Karen Kosseff
Bill Dow as Charles Burk
Kay E. Kuter as Head Calusari
Jacqueline Dandeneau as Nurse Castor
Bill Croft as Calusari No. 2
Campbell Lane as Calusari No. 3
George Josef as Calusari No. 1[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Humbug" Next →
 "F. Emasculata"

List of The X-Files episodes
"The Calusari" is the twenty-first episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 14, 1995. It was written by Sara B. Charno and directed by Michael Vejar. "The Calusari" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology, or fictional history. It earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3, being watched by 7.9 million households in its initial broadcast. Due to perceived inconsistencies in the plot, "The Calusari" received mixed reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, a photograph taken just before the death of a two-year-old boy yields evidence of some supernatural intervention which piques Mulder and Scully's curiosity. When another death in the family occurs, the grandmother of the remaining child requests the aid of some Romanian ritualists, named the Calusari, in order to cleanse the home of evil.
The script for "The Calusari" was inspired by Charno's experience as a doctor of Eastern medicine. The inspiration for the entry came from an idea series creator Chris Carter had involving someone getting hanged with a garage-door opener. Because "The Calusari" was heavy in terms of violence, Fox's standards and practices department took issues with several scenes. In addition, Carter re-cut the episode after it was completed in order to make it more scary.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Murray, Virginia, the Holvey family visits a local amusement park. When the youngest child, Teddy, lets his balloon fly away, his father, Steve, gives him a balloon belonging to his older brother, Charlie (Joel Palmer). When the boys' mother, Maggie (Helene Clarkson), is in the bathroom, the strap in Teddy's stroller comes undone. Teddy follows a balloon floating under its own power out of the restroom and onto the tracks of the park's tour train, leading to his death. Charlie is the only member of the Holvey family not to grieve Teddy's death at the scene.
Three months later, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) shows Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) a photo taken moments before Teddy's death, showing that the balloon moved horizontally against the wind. Chuck Burks (Bill Dow), a digital photo expert, uses software to uncover evidence of electromagnetic disturbances in the shape of a child, holding the balloon. During a visit by the agents, the Holveys dispute Mulder's theory that Teddy was led onto the tracks. Scully sees Golda (Lilyan Chauvin), Maggie's elderly Romanian mother, drawing a swastika on Charlie’s hand. Steve explains that Golda was against his marriage to Maggie; strange things began to happen when Teddy was born and Golda came to live with the family. Steve hints that Golda might be hurting Charlie, leading Scully to suggest that they visit a social worker named Karen Kosseff (Christine Willes). While preparing to take Charlie to a session with Kosseff, Steve is strangled when his tie is caught in the seemingly-malfunctioning garage door.
Investigating Steve's death, the police find evidence of the ritualistic sacrifices in Golda's room. Mulder finds a film of fine dust in the garage, which Chuck identifies it as vibhuti, a residual sign of spiritual energy. Golda and three elderly Căluşari mystics conduct a ritual in her room. Meanwhile, during Charlie's appointment with Kosseff, the child goes into convulsions. Kosseff and Maggie see smoke coming from under Golda's door, coming across their ritual. Maggie is horrified, and forces the old men to leave the house. However, Golda grabs Charlie and pulls him into her room in an attempt to complete the ritual. However, Charlie quickly gains the upper hand and brings a pair of dead chickens back to life and kills her.
When Kosseff asks Charlie about the incident, he insists that he was not in his grandmother's room, and declares that it was a boy named Michael. Maggie is terrified at the claim, explaining to the agents that Michael was Charlie’s stillborn twin; Golda had told the parents that a ritual should be performed to separate the spirits of the twins. Charlie has another seizure and is hospitalized. Michael, pretending to be Charlie, convinces Maggie to take him home. Scully sees them leaving, and checks on Charlie. They find the nurse and Charlie still in the hospital room. Mulder, now convinced that Michael's spirit is behind the killings, sends Scully to the Holvey residence to stop him.
Maggie tries to complete her mother's ritual, but Michael tries to intervene. Back at the hospital, Mulder joins the Căluşari as they perform an exorcism on Charlie. As Mulder helps with the ritual, Scully arrives at the Holvey house, and finds Maggie being attacked by Michael. Scully is tossed across the room by an unseen force. Just as Michael is about to stab Scully, the exorcism ends, and Michael's spirit disappears.[1]
Production[edit]

 

 Golda draws a left-facing swastika on Charlie's hand, a protective symbol in many Eastern religions.
The episode was written by Sara Charno and directed by Mike Vejar.[2] Before becoming a writer, Charno had been a doctor of Eastern medicine. According to writer Frank Spotnitz, her "esoteric knowledge that none of the rest of [the writers] had about all kinds of things" was put to use in the script for "The Calusari".[3] The episode was based largely on an idea that series creator Chris Carter had; his thought revolved around a "garage-door opener hanging".[4] When Charlie stands over his grandmother and begins speaking in Romanian, he utters the words "You are too late to stop us."[4] Christine Willes, who plays the part of Agent Kosseff, reprises her role; she originally appeared in the earlier episode "Irresistible".[4]
During production of the episode, the producers "agonized" over the teaser—due to the fact that it featured the death of a small child—as well as the darkness of the entire episode. Fox's standards and practices department took issues with Steve's strangulation scene; in the end, the sequence was left in the episode, but Steve's face was obscured to "soften the impact".[4] Although the episode's filming went along smoothly, the final cut "didn't pass muster".[3] Spotnitz explained that Carter "spent a lot of time in the editing room trying to figure out how to make this more terrifying."[3] Spotnitz later noted that Carter's dedication impacted his work ethic and proved that something could be so "much better […] if you didn't give up."[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Calusari" originally aired on the Fox network on April 14, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on February 6, 1996.[2] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3 with an 16 share, meaning that roughly 8.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode.[5] A total of 7.9 million households watched this episode during its original airing.[5] "The Calusari" is the only episode of the series to have received an explicit rating of "18" in the United Kingdom by the BBFC for "occasional strong horror" and themes involving "demonic possession".[6][7]
"The Calusari" received mixed reviews, with critics citing inconsistencies in the plot as the main detractions. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a "B–" rating, calling it "an Exorcist/Omen rip-off, but a classy one".[8] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave it a "C+", writing that it was "an episode with a lot of great and spooky moments", but "a messy, chaotic story that could have been much better developed, and too many things that happen [...] just because the writers thought it would be cool if they happened".[9] However, while he was "not sure everything hangs together" and he wished for more backstory, VanDerWerff did praise some "really great moments", particularly the opening teaser.[9] John Keegan from Critical Myth, while calling the episode "a mixed bag", awarded it a 7 out of 10.[10] He praised the entry's "fascinating implications [about] the mythology hidden within the events depicted", and noted that it was "well directed and acted".[10] Despite this, he was more critical of the episode's plot and wrote that there were "clear logical flaws [...] and the subject matter can be disturbing. This is an episode that falls heavily to subjective interpretation."[10] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a largely negative review and rated it one-and-a-half stars out of five. The two called it a "pale retread of The Exorcist" and noted that many of the episode's elements, like the chicken-sacrificing grandmother and the Calusari members, were "tremendously crass".[11] Shearman and Pearson, however, did enjoy the episode's dialogue, praising one scene in particular where the sprit of Michael torments his mother by asking to be taken to the amusement park and ride the train that killed his younger brother. Regardless, however, the duo concluded that "there something stale and pointless at [the episode's] heart."[11]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 213–215
2.^ Jump up to: a b David Nutter, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 63
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, p. 215
5.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 248
6.Jump up ^ "The X Files – The Calusari rated 18 by the BBFC". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
7.Jump up ^ "Search << British Board of Film Classification". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
8.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly (Time Inc). 29 November 1996. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
9.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerrWerff, Todd (20 June 2010). "'Død Kalm'/'Humbug'/'The Calusari'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Keegan, John. "The Calusari". Critical Myth. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 50–51
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"The Calusari" on TheXFiles.com
"The Calusari" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Calusari" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 2) episodes


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F. Emasculata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"F. Emasculata"
The X-Files episode
XFilesPus.jpg
A prisoner with exploding pustules. The pustules were carefully rigged to burst on command by makeup supervisor Toby Lindala.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 22
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Chris Carter
Howard Gordon
Production code
2X22
Original air date
April 28, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Charles Martin Smith as Doctor Osbourne
John Tench as Steve
Angelo Vacco as Angelo Garza
John Pyper-Ferguson as Paul
Dean Norris as Marshal Tapia
Lynda Boyd as Elizabeth
Alvin Sanders as the Bus Driver
Kim Kondrashoff as Bobby Torrence
Chilton Crane as Mother at Bus Station
Bill Rowat as Doctor Robert Torrence
Jude Zachary as Winston[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "The Calusari" Next →
 "Soft Light"

List of The X-Files episodes
"F. Emasculata" is the twenty-second episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on April 28, 1995. It was written by series creator Chris Carter and staff writer Howard Gordon, and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "F. Emasculata" received a Nielsen rating of 8.9 and was watched by 8.5 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.
In this episode, Scully tries to discover the cause of a mysterious illness after several men in a prison die. Meanwhile, Mulder attempts to find two escapees who could potentially spread the disease. "F. Emasculata" was based on the actual practice of pharmaceutical companies sending scientists all over the world looking for plants and animals that could have medicinal use. The X-Files director Frank Spotnitz felt that the episode's exploding pustules were ridiculous because of their over-the-top nature. The Costa Rican forest at the opening was shot at the Seymour Demonstration Forest in Northern Vancouver.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In the rain forest of Costa Rica, entomologist Robert Torrance stumbles upon a decomposing boar carcass covered with dark purple pustules. As he extracts an insect from one of the pustules, it erupts, spraying him with fluid. By nightfall, Torrance himself has developed the boils and tries to radio for help. When a group of soldiers arrive the next morning, Torrance is dead.
At a prison in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, an inmate — also named Robert Torrance — receives a package containing a boil-covered piece of meat. He becomes infected and dies thirty-six hours later. Two other inmates, Paul and Steve, escape in a laundry cart after being sent to clean Torrance's cell. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are sent to help the U.S. Marshals find them. The agents note that the FBI does not normally investigate prison escapes, and become suspicious as the prison is quarantined by the CDC and the National Guard. Mulder joins the Marshals to hunt the fugitives, while Scully stays behind to investigate the situation in the prison.
Scully learns that the lockdown population is infected with an exceedingly deadly contagion, finding a pile of body bags stored for incineration in the prison's boiler room. Scully cuts open Torrance's body bag and examines his corpse, but Dr. Osbourne, a member of the CDC team, tries to stop her. A pustule on Torrance's body erupts in Osbourne's face, causing him to flee the room. Meanwhile, the fugitives steal an RV and stop at a gas station, where Paul calls his girlfriend, Elizabeth, looking for shelter. The station's clerk finds an infected Steve in the restroom; he is knocked unconscious by Paul. Scully calls Mulder after the Marshals raid the gas station, telling him that the contagion could spread into the population if the fugitives are not captured. Mulder sees a CDC biohazard team arrive at the scene, forcibly taking away the clerk in a helicopter.
The fugitives arrive at Elizabeth's house, where she tends to Steve, in the late stages of his infection. One of Steve's pustules erupts in her face, killing him and infecting Elizabeth. At that moment, Mulder and the Marshals raid the house and arrest her, but find Paul missing. Meanwhile, Scully traces Torrance's package to Pinck Pharmaceuticals, a major drug developer. She also finds an insect in the body of another prisoner. Dr. Osbourne, who has become infected, reveals that his team works for Pinck and are researching a dilating enzyme produced by the insect. However, the insect has a parasitic life cycle that kills its hosts. Osbourne claims that the insect and its contagion were deliberately introduced into the prison by Pinck as an experiment. He tells Scully that since she was next to him when he became infected, she may have contracted the contagion as well.
Mulder confronts Skinner and The Smoking Man, believing that he and Scully were deceived into taking the case without knowing about the contagion. Mulder is adamant that the public should know the truth about Pinck's actions. The Smoking Man counters that public knowledge of the truth would create mass panic and do more harm than good. Mulder tries to take his case to Scully, but she agrees that exposing Pinck may result in a deadly hysteria. Paul becomes the only remaining proof of the company's crimes, but he takes a hostage and is killed by the Marshals before Mulder can convince him to divulge the contents of Torrance's package. The episode ends with Skinner warning Mulder to be more wary of the situations he will find himself in.[1]
Production[edit]
F. Emasculata and Pinck Pharmaceuticals are fictitious, but pharmaceutical companies do send scientists all over the world looking for plants and animals that could have medicinal use.[2] The appearance of The Smoking Man in a stand-alone episode is unusual, as Chris Carter did not like mixing the mythology and stand-alone episodes.[3] Initially, the producers were wary of releasing the episode so close to the release of the similarly-themed movie Outbreak. In the end, however, they realized that the two entities were separate and stood on their own.[4]
The exploding pustules were carefully rigged to burst on command. Makeup supervisor Toby Lindala constructed a handheld device that connected via tube to the faux sores. When the device was pressed, the pustule would burst. Filming the scenes were particularly arduous; he later noted "I was jammed underneath one of the bus seats with these extras basically stepping on my head."[4] The X-Files director Frank Spotnitz remarked, "When we saw the pustule bursting on film, we just laughed because it was just so over-the-top grotesque."[3] The Costa Rican forest at the opening was shot at the Seymour Demonstration Forest in Northern Vancouver, which also served as Puerto Rico in season opener "Little Green Men".[5] The city of Delta served for both the gas station and the bus station—actually a redecorated Dodge/Chrysler car dealership.[6]
Reception[edit]
"F. Emasculata" was originally broadcast in the United States on the Fox network on April 28, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on February 6, 1996.[7] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.9, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 8.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] It was viewed by 8.5 million households.[8]
The episode received generally mixed reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly graded the episode a C, writing, "A good idea is tainted by plot holes as gaping and disturbing as the pustular boils you'll be treated to in this hour".[9] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club was positive, grading it an A. He particularly praised the way the darkness was handled which made it a "tense, gripping mini-movie", and also praised the guest stars.[10] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three-and-a-half stars out of five. The two wrote positively of the first part of the entry, noting that it "jogs along quite merrily as a simple contagion story".[11] They were, however, more critical of the second half, noting that the story "takes a left turn and becomes a thoughtful analysis on disinformation, on cover-up, and the public right to truth."[11] Shearman and Pearson called both parts "two really interesting rough drafts", but concluded that the two halves were ill-suited for one another.[11]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 216–217
2.Jump up ^ Simon, p. 65
3.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 63
4.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 218
5.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 55
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 76-77
7.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–95.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
9.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (June 27, 2010). "F. Emasculata/Soft Light/Our Town/Anasazi". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 51
BibliographyGradnitzer, Louisa; Todd Pittson (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-72-5.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Simon, Anne (2001). The Real Science Behind the X-Files: Microbes, Meteorites, and Mutants. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-684-85618-6.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"F. Emasculata" on TheXFiles.com
"F. Emasculata" at the Internet Movie Database
"F. Emasculata" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
1995 television episodes


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Soft Light (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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"Soft Light"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 23
Directed by
James A. Contner
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
2X23
Original air date
May 5, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Steven Williams as X
Tony Shalhoub as Chester Ray Banton
Kevin McNulty as Christopher Davey
Kate Twa as Kelly Ryan
Nathaniel Deveaux as Detective Barron
Guyle Frazier as 1st Officer
Forbes Angus as Government Scientist
Donna Yamamoto as the Night Nurse
Robert Rozen as the Doctor
Steve Bacic as the 2nd Officer
Craig Brunanski as the Security Guard[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "F. Emasculata" Next →
 "Our Town"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Soft Light" is the twenty-third episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on May 5, 1995. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by James A. Contner. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology, or overarching fictional history. "Soft Light" received a Nielsen rating of 8.5 and was watched by 8.1 million households. The episode generally received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, an ex-student of Scully's (Kate Twa) asks the agents to help her with her first investigation concerning a number of disappearances with very few clues. Mulder ponders the idea of spontaneous human combustion but rethinks it when they find a man, Chester Ray Banton (Tony Shalhoub), who is afraid of his own shadow. Banton is a scientist researching dark matter, and his shadow has somehow developed the ability to disintegrate people who come across it.
"Soft Light" was the first episode of The X-Files written by Gilligan. Gilligan would later go on to write several critically acclaimed and award winning episodes of The X-Files, such as "Pusher", "Bad Blood" and "Memento Mori". "Soft Light" was one of the first episodes written by someone not on the main writing staff for The X-Files. Originally, the script called for Banton's shadow to be able to move independently, but it was rewritten to save on animation costs. In addition, the character of X (Steven Williams) was not in the script initially. His character was added to give Banton a legitimate fear of the government.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
At a hotel in Richmond, Virginia, Chester Ray Banton (Tony Shalhoub) frantically knocks on the door of a room, seeking a person named Morris. Banton's shouts attract the attention of Patrick Newirth, a guest in the room across the hall. When Newirth looks through his peephole, Banton's shadow slips beneath the door and causes Newirth to suddenly evaporate, leaving a burn mark on the floor. Banton realizes what has happened and flees the scene.
Newirth's death, the latest in several, is assigned to local detective Kelly Ryan (Kate Twa). She seeks help from Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), her former instructor at the FBI Academy. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) also takes part in the investigation, believing Newirth died from spontaneous human combustion. While searching the home of an earlier victim, the agents realize that both she and Newirth had recently traveled by train. Meanwhile, Banton sits in a train station, cautiously looking at the floor; because the room is lit by soft light, his shadow cannot be seen. After he leaves, Banton is confronted by two police officers patrolling the area. Despite Banton's warnings, the officers step into his shadow and disappear, leaving more burn marks.
The following day, while reviewing the station's surveillance tapes, Mulder sees footage of Banton staring at the floor. After blowing up the frame, Mulder sees the logo for a company called Polarity Magnetics on Banton's jacket. The agents visit Polarity Magnetics, where they meet scientist Christopher Davey (Kevin McNulty). He identifies Banton, a physicist conducting research into dark matter. Davey reveals that Banton disappeared five weeks earlier after an incident in his laboratory in which he was locked in a target room with an active particle accelerator and exposed to a large amount of subatomic particles. His account is enough for Scully to consider spontaneous human combustion, but Mulder is now doubtful of this theory.
The agents eventually find and corner Banton at the train station. He declares that walking into his shadow will kill the agents, so Mulder shoots out the overhead lights. Banton then allows himself to be taken to a mental hospital, where he is put in a room with soft light per his own request. He tells the agents that the accident in his laboratory caused his shadow to behave like a black hole, splitting atoms into component particles and reducing matter into pure energy. Banton claims that the deaths were all accidents, and that the government wants to apprehend him. At this point Detective Ryan and her superior officer arrive and stop the questioning, declaring the case closed over Mulder's objections. Mulder contacts his informant, X (Steven Williams), who assures him that the government has no interest in Banton. However, X and two associates later attempt to remove Banton from the hospital by cutting the power. In the process, the two attendants are killed when the emergency lights turn on and Banton's shadow falls upon them. Banton flees from the hospital.
Banton returns to Polarity Magnetics and is confronted by Ryan, whom he reluctantly kills with his shadow when she tries to arrest him. Banton orders Davey to destroy him with the particle accelerator, but Davey reveals that he has been helping the government hunt him down. Davey locks Banton in with the particle accelerator, but is shot by X. Mulder and Scully arrive soon after, seemingly too late to save Banton from being vaporized by the accelerator; Mulder realizes that X has betrayed him, and tells X to never contact him again. The case is considered closed, but Mulder notes that Davey disappeared after the incidents. The episode ends as X enters a research facility where experiments are being performed on a despairing Banton.[1]
Production[edit]

 

Tony Shalhoub guest starred in the episode as Dr. Banton.
"Soft Light" was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by James A. Contner. Gilligan was a fan of the show, and after talking about the show to his agent, a relative of series creator Chris Carter, a meeting between Gilligan and Carter was organized, so Gilligan could tell Carter how much he enjoyed the show. When Gilligan met Carter, Gilligan praised the show, and Carter thanked him. Carter then asked if Gilligan had any ideas for it, surprising Gilligan. Gilligan then said that he had been observing his shadow and thought it would be "creepy" if it began moving independently. Gilligan wrote the episode as a freelancer; after the episode was finished, Carter asked him to join the staff.[2]
Gilligan inserted a reference to the villain Eugene Victor Tooms from the first season episodes "Squeeze" and "Tooms" in a conversation between Ryan and Mulder.[3] The episode represents one of the first entries in the series to be written by someone from outside the main writing staff of The X-Files.[4] Originally, the script called for Banton's shadow to be able to move independently; Carter and writer Howard Gordon rewrote the story to remove this aspect. Gilligan later noted, "they rewrote the episode […] this saved an enormous amount of money in animation costs."[5] In addition, the character of X was not in the first draft of the script. However, the series staff realized that Banton's fear of having the government control him should be "more than just paranoia".[4] Thus, X was written into the story. Writer Frank Spotnitz later noted, "it had been a long time since X had done anything and the character really needed to grow."[4]
The episode guest stars Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Banton. Shalhoub, who had a recurring role on the NBC series Wings, was not familiar with The X-Files when he was offered the part because at the time he did not watch much television. Instead, he was sent the script and enjoyed it—due to the show's similarities to The Twilight Zone—and agreed to appear in the episode. When Shalhoub informed people that he was going to Vancouver to film an episode of the series, he claimed that "the response was unbelievable".[6] Shalhoub was impressed with the on-location filming that the series did; he noted, "Ninety-nine percent of our filming on Wings is done on a soundstage, while most of their material is shot on location in and around Vancouver. It's an ideal city because it gives producers so many options."[6]
The train station was filmed at both a Via Rail station and the Pacific Marine Training Institute in Vancouver. The Pacific Marine Training Institute initially only allowed filming after 5 pm, before the persistence of the location managers led the dean of the station to allow the crew to commence filming at 2 pm. During production, Gilligan financed a trip to the show's filming locations in Vancouver and followed production with a video camera, a feat then unheard of for a writer on The X-Files.[7]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Soft Light" was originally aired in the United States on the Fox Broadcasting Company on May 5, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on February 13, 1996 on BBC One.[8] In its original broadcast, it was watched by 8.1 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings system.[9] It received an 8.5 rating and 15 share among viewers, meaning that 8.5 percent of all households in the United States and 15 percent of all people watching television at the time, viewed the episode.[9]
"Soft Light" received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a "B–" and noted that the episode "gains points for the obscure subject matter" but "loses them for the strained conspiratorial element".[10] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club also gave it a "B–". He praised the cold open for its strangeness and X's involvement, but thought that the explanation for Banton's shadow was not satisfactorily fleshed out.[11] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five. The two wrote positively of the episode's case, calling it one wherein "Mulder and Scully get to investigate properly, coming up with theories that they later build on or retract."[12] Shearman and Pearson also wrote positively of the episode's conclusion, noting that "there's no better illustration for distrusting the government than the brilliant closing scene" which features Shalhoub "fixed to a chair, bombarded with flashes of light, as one single tear rolls down his terrified face."[12] Other reviews were decidedly more critical. John Keegan from Critical Myth awarded the episode a 5 out of 10 and wrote, "Overall, this episode falls short due to a completely ludicrous central concept, only partially countered by an interesting resolution highlighting the more sinister side of Informant X. Much like last season’s final few episodes, this season is ending with plenty of hints that Mulder and Scully are pushing the wrong buttons."[13]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 219–221
2.Jump up ^ Ryan, Maureen. "'The X-Files' Turns 20: 'Breaking Bad' Creator On What He Learned From Mulder And Scully". Retrieved 13 July 2013.
3.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 308
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry, p. 221
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 66
6.^ Jump up to: a b Eramo, Steve (30 January 2011). "Sci-Fi Blast From The Past – Tony Shalhoub (The X-Files)". SciFi and TVTalk. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
7.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 77
8.Jump up ^ David Nutter, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2". Entertainment Weekly (Time Inc). 29 November 1996. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (27 June 2010). "F. Emasculata/Soft Light/Our Town/Anasazi". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 52
13.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Soft Light". Critical Myth. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Soft Light" at TheXFiles.com
"Soft Light" at the Internet Movie Database
"Soft Light" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 2) episodes
Screenplays by Vince Gilligan


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Our Town (The X-Files)

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Jump to: navigation, search

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"Our Town"
The X-Files episode
Our Town TXF.jpg
A man wears a sacrificial mask. Director Rob Bowman found scenes featuring the mask the most difficult to shoot.
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 24
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
2X24
Original air date
May 12, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

John Milford as Walter Chaco
Carolina Kava as Doris Kearns
Gary Grubbs as Sheriff Arens
Timothy Webber as Jess Harold
Gabrielle Miller as Paula Gray
Robin Mossley as Dr. Vance Randolph
John MacLaren as George Kearns
Hrothgar Mathews as Mental Patient
Robert Moloney as Worker
Carrie Cain Sparks as Maid[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Soft Light" Next →
 "Anasazi"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Our Town" is the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 12, 1995. It was written by Frank Spotnitz and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Our Town" received a Nielsen rating of 9.4 and was watched by 9.0 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Dudley, Arkansas is the site of the latest investigation for Mulder and Scully, who are sent to find a missing poultry inspector. The case takes a twist when another poultry worker is shot after she goes insane, giving Mulder a hunch that the townsfolk really are what they eat.
"Our Town" was future executive producer Spotnitz's first stand-alone episode for the show. Spotnitz was inspired to write the episode after thinking of cannibalism occurring at a chicken processing plant, an idea that he thought was one of the most despicable and vile things. Spotniz later named the characters after real life cannibals.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Dudley, Arkansas, government health inspector George Kearns follows his seemingly young lover, Paula Gray, into the woods. However, after losing track of Paula, Kearns soon finds himself surrounded by lights in the woods. He is then killed by an axe-wielding assailant wearing a tribal mask.
When Kearns is reported missing and a witness claims to have seen foxfire near Dudley, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate. At the site of the alleged foxfire, the agents find the ground burnt; Arens, the local sheriff, disclaims anything unusual occurring. After visiting Kearns' wife, Doris, the agents discover that he was about to recommend a local chicken plant, Chaco Chicken, to be closed down for health violations. While giving the agents a tour of the plant, floor manager Jess Harold claims that Kearns held a vendetta against Chaco Chicken. However, a hallucinatory Paula attacks Harold and is shot by Sheriff Arens. The plant's physician, Dr. Vance Randolph, later claims that Paula was suffering from headaches, which Kearns had also reported.
Paula's grandfather is plant owner Walter Chaco, who gives the agents permission to perform an autopsy. The agents that while Paula's personnel file gives her age as 47, she appears no older than her mid-20's. They also discover that Paula suffered from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a rare and fatal illness that causes dementia. When the agents nearly collide with a Chaco Chicken truck, they learn that the driver also suffered from the disease. Noticing the blood-red color of a nearby lake, Mulder orders a reluctant Sheriff Arens to dredge it. They quickly find the bones of nine people, including Kearns. The agents notice that the skeletons are all missing their skulls, and that the bones appear to have been boiled. Meanwhile, Randolph and Harold discuss the increase of Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases, and complain about Walter Chaco's inaction.
Using FBI records, Mulder and Scully find that eighty-seven people have vanished within a two-hundred mile radius of Dudley over the past half-century. Mulder suspects that the town's residents are practicing cannibalism in order to prolong life, possibly explaining Paula's youthful appearance. Mulder also realizes that Kearns originally had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and that the other residents caught the illness after consuming his body. The agents try to search the town's birth records for confirmation of Paula's age, but find that they have been destroyed. At Chaco's mansion, Chaco and Harold meet with Doris, who tearfully implies that she "helped" Chaco kill her husband; Chaco instructs her to obstruct the FBI's investigation.
Doris calls Mulder, believing that Chaco wants to kill her; after she hangs up, she is attacked by the masked figure. Scully goes to help Doris while Mulder searches for Chaco at his mansion. There, he finds the shrunken heads of Kearns and other victims in a cabinet. Mulder calls Scully on the phone and hears her being knocked out by Chaco. She is taken to a secluded field, where Harold has started a bonfire and led the townsfolk in consuming Doris. Chaco berates them for killing one of their own, but Harold chastises him for allowing the Creutzfeldt-Jakob epidemic to occur. He has Chaco executed by the masked figure. Scully herself is about to be killed when Mulder arrives and shoots the figure; he is revealed to be Sheriff Arens. The townsfolk flee, trampling Harold to death.
In narration, Scully explains that Chaco's plant has been closed down by the Department of Agriculture, and that twenty-seven Dudley residents have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She reveals that Chaco was ninety-three years old at the time of his death, and had spent time with the allegedly cannibalistic "Jale tribe" after his transport plane was shot down over New Guinea during World War II. She also states that his remains have never been found; the final scene suggests that Chaco's remains are being fed to chickens at his plant.[1][2]
Production[edit]
"Our Town" was written by future executive producer Frank Spotnitz and directed by Rob Bowman.[3] The episode was Spotnitz's first stand-alone episode for the show.[4] He had wanted to do an episode about cannibalism occurring at a chicken processing plant, thinking it was one of the most despicable and vile things he could imagine.[5] Spotnitz was inspired by the Spencer Tracy movie Bad Day at Black Rock, which is about a town holding a terrible secret.[6] He was also inspired by an article he read at UCLA about salamanders getting sick from eating other salamanders; Spotnitz's brother later suggested him to include the theme in the episode.[6]
The concept of discovering human bones that had been boiled in pots was inspired by research done for the episode "Anasazi".[6] Despite having trouble locating books on cannibalism, Spotniz even named the characters after real life cannibals.[7][8] Chaco Chicken was based on Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, which is where bones consumed by the Anasazi were found.[6] The idea of cannibals being afflicted by a degenerative neurological disease was inspired by Kuru, a Creutzfeld-Jakob-like prion disease that afflicted the Fore people of Papua New Guinea through cannibalism. Howard Gordon came up with the idea to start the episode with a love affair between George Kearns and Paula Gray.[4] Gary Grubbs, the actor who played the sheriff, was later cast as the fire captain in the 1998 X-Files film.[8]
Of the end result, Spotnitz said "I was very pleased with the way it was executed, and I think it was a good mystery.[5] He later wrote that he "liked [it] more as time has gone on."[8] Director Rob Bowman admitted to being tired and not inspired by the time this episode—the second to last of the season—was produced. This lack of interest later resulted in the episode taking extra time to finish.[5] Bowman later recalled that the most difficult aspect of the episode was filming the climactic human sacrifice scene, if only because of the ceremonial mask featured. He explained, "the mask scared the hell out of me only because I thought, 'Boy, if I don't shoot this right, it's going to be silly."[4]
Reception[edit]
"Our Town" was first broadcast in the United States on May 12, 1995, on the Fox Broadcasting Company.[3] In its original broadcast, it was watched by 9 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings system.[9] It received an 9.4 rating and 17 share among viewers, meaning that 9.4 percent of all households in the United States and 17 percent of all people watching television at the time, viewed the episode.[9]
The episode received mostly mixed reviews from television critics. In a retrospective review of the second season, Entertainment Weekly gave "Our Town" a C+, describing it as "scary — but mostly because of what transpires in a chicken processing plant."[10] Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen rated the episode an B–, criticizing the clichéd opening sequence—"Haven't we seen this before? Like, a million times, in dozens of horror movies, and even on this very series"—the bland characters and lack of humor.[11] However, he did compliment the fact that the plot explained enough of the villain's motives and that the episode had "some sense of a community behind everything".[11] Furthermore, he wrote that the resolution worked well despite again resorting to Scully in danger.[11]
Television Without Pity ranked "Our Town" the fifth most nightmare-inducing episode of the show.[12] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode two stars out of five. The two wrote positively of Spotnitz juxtapositions, praising the idea to frame the themes around cannibalism. However, they wrote that "Spotnitz pushes the metaphor too far", citing the ending scene as evidence.[13] Shearman and Pearson also criticized both Bowman's directing, noting it lacked the flourishes to make "Spotnitz' strange black comedy work", and Mark Snow's score.[13] They noted that Snow was on "autopilot" and that his soundtrack was "the same horn anthem he gives any character who's taken a little too much from a tribal culture."[13] The two further criticized the series' use of the capture of Scully as a mechanism for Mulder to spring into action.[13]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 222–223
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 174–175
3.^ Jump up to: a b David Nutter, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 66
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Edwards, pp. 125–126
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, pp. 223–224
7.Jump up ^ Chris Carter, et al. Behind the Truth: Our Town (featurette). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Spotnitz, Frank (2011). "BigLight.com - The official website for Frank Spotnitz's Big Light Productions". Big Light Productions. Retrieved 17 May 2012. Note: To retrieve information, click "Season 2" and navigate to "Our Town"
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 249
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Handlen, Zack (June 27, 2010). ""F. Emasculata"/"Soft Light"/"Our Town"/"Anasazi" | The X-Files/Millennium". A.V. Club. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
12.Jump up ^ "Photo Gallery - X-Files: The 11 Most Nightmare-Inducing Episodes Ever - TV Shows & TV Series Pictures & Photos". Television Without Pity. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shearman and Pearson, p. 53
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
Hurwitz, Matt and Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series the Myths and the Movies. New York, US: Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784725.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 080651745X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Our Town" on TheXFiles.com
"Our Town" at the Internet Movie Database
"Our Town" at TV.com

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The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
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 ­6·
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 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 2) episodes
Cannibalism in fiction
1995 television episodes



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Anasazi (The X-Files)

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"Anasazi"
The X-Files episode
Anasazi 2x25.jpg
A burnt alien corpse, found in a deserted boxcar
 
Episode no.
Season 2
 Episode 25
Directed by
R. W. Goodwin
Teleplay by
Chris Carter
Story by
David Duchovny
 Chris Carter
Production code
2X25
Original air date
May 19, 1995
Running time
45 minutes
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Floyd Westerman as Albert Hosteen
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Peter Donat as William Mulder
Bernie Coulson as Kenneth Soona/The Thinker
Byron Chief-Moon as Father
Paul McLean as Agent Kautz
Renae Morriseau as Josephine Doane
Aurelio Dinunzio as Antonio
Michael David Sims as Senior Agent
Ken Camroux as Second Senior Agent
Chris Carter as Third Senior Agent
Mitch Davies as Stealth Man
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Our Town" Next →
 "The Blessing Way"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Anasazi" is the twenty-fifth episode and season finale of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 1995. It was written by series creator Chris Carter based on a story he developed with lead actor David Duchovny. The episode was directed by R. W. Goodwin, and featured guest appearances by Peter Donat, Nicholas Lea, Mitch Pileggi and Floyd Red Crow Westerman. The episode helped explore the overarching mythology, or fictional history of The X-Files. "Anasazi" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, being watched by 9.6 million households in its initial broadcast; and received positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In the episode, Mulder and Scully come into possession of a tape containing classified government files, and attempt to decipher its contents. Meanwhile, Mulder's mental health begins to deteriorate, and a mysterious corpse is discovered on a New Mexico reservation. "Anasazi" is part of a three-episode storyline, with the plot carrying on in the third season episodes "The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip".
Series creator Chris Carter worked closely with series star David Duchovny, who shares a story credit with Carter for the episode. Because the series was filmed in Vancouver, the producers painted a disused quarry in Vancouver with 1,600 gallons of red paint and also composited in images shot in New Mexico and a blue sky in order to make the New Mexico rock quarry featured in the episode.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In the desert near a Navajo Indian reservation in Two Grey Hills, New Mexico, a teenage boy comes across a boxcar buried in the ground. He retrieves the corpse of an alien-like figure from the boxcar, which he takes back to the reservation and presents it to the residents, including Navajo elder Albert Hosteen.
Shortly afterward, Kenneth Soona, a computer hacker known as "The Thinker", breaks into the Defense Department database and downloads secret files related to extraterrestrial life, putting them onto a digital tape. When the Syndicate learns of the breach, the Smoking Man tells them that he has already resolved the matter. The Lone Gunmen meet with Mulder, and tell him that Soona requests to meet with him. While Mulder is leaving his apartment building, he finds that one of his neighbors has shot her husband.
Soona gives the digital cassette to Mulder at a discreet meeting in a park. An excited Mulder returns to FBI headquarters, only to find that the cassette is encrypted. Scully believes the encryption is based on the Navajo language and takes the tape in order to investigate. When Skinner calls Mulder to his office to question him about the tape, Mulder physically attacks him. Scully is brought before an FBI panel led by Skinner and is questioned about Mulder's actions. Scully is told that Mulder faces dismissal from the FBI, and that she will suffer a similar punishment if she has lied to them.
On Martha's Vineyard, the Smoking Man visits Mulder's father, Bill, and informs him of his son's likely possession of the tape. Scully meets with a Navajo translator, who refers her to a code talker. Mulder is called away to see Bill; when Scully arrives at his apartment, she is grazed by a bullet shot through his window. When Mulder arrives at Bill's residence, his father prepares to reveal the truth about everything. However, Bill is shot and mortally wounded by Alex Krycek. When Mulder contacts Scully, she tells him to flee the scene. After Mulder arrives at her apartment, Scully takes his gun from him while he sleeps.
Scully brings the gun to the FBI for comparison against the bullet that killed Bill. When Mulder awakens, he becomes angry and suspicious towards Scully. Later returning to his building, Scully finds his water being contaminated. When Mulder arrives home, he finds Krycek there and prepares to kill him. However, Scully shoots him to prevent him from doing so, allowing Krycek to escape. Scully brings an unconscious Mulder to New Mexico and, when he awakens, reveals that his behavior was caused by a drug placed into his water supply. She introduces him to Hosteen, who has been translating the files on the digital tape.
Scully reveals that the tape contains information on both her and Duane Barry. Hosteen introduces Mulder to his grandson, who drives him to the buried boxcar. Just before he heads in, he is called by the Smoking Man, who is able to trace Mulder's location through the call. Mulder heads inside the boxcar, finding a pile of the dead creatures, each with smallpox vaccination scars on their arms. The Smoking Man arrives by helicopter with eight armed commandos and, not finding Mulder inside, orders the boxcar to be burned.[1][2]
Production[edit]
Series creator Chris Carter noted that the episode's creation "was the culmination of a lot of ideas. Generally, when we pitch stories to the staff everyone comments on them, and Darin Morgan called this the kitchen sink episode, because it had so much in it, he didn't know how we would pull it off. But I'm very proud of the script. David Duchovny and I worked quite closely on the story and he had a lot of input, and then I sat down and wrote the script". He felt that the episode ended the season in the best manner possible, asking more questions than it answered.[3] The episode tried to make similar cliffhangers as the previous season finale, with revelations such as Mulder's father being part of the conspiracy and later killed to "prove anything could happen in The X-Files".[4]
To create the New Mexico rock quarry in this episode, the producers painted a disused quarry in Vancouver with 1,600 gallons of red paint,[5] and also composited images shot in New Mexico and a blue sky to make it look more authentic.[4] The painting of the quarry was achieved with a series of cranes, and required the permission of local environmental groups.[6] To create the impression of a buried train carriage, a depression had to be blown into the ground and thirty-two dump trucks worth of debris removed.[7] Series creator Chris Carter makes a cameo appearance in this episode as one of the senior FBI agents questioning Scully.[8][9] The tagline for this episode is Éí 'Aaníígóó 'Áhoot'é, which means "The Truth is Out There" in Navajo.[10]
Reception[edit]


It's possible to sense here, at this moment, that this as far we're going to get in terms of making sense. Mulder and Scully will keep finding new sources of information, other people will get shot, indeterminate menace will ensue, but we're never going to have this end in the way it really needs to. The outward growth here is very entertaining, but it's also a bad sign, because it's not going to stop.
—A.V. Club's Zack Handlen on the eventual growth of the series' mythology.[11]
"Anasazi" premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on February 27, 1996.[12] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.1, with a 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 9.6 million households.[13]
In a retrospective of the second season in Entertainment Weekly, "Anasazi" was rated an A, being described as "mind-blowing if frustrating", with it being noted that the episode "made fans want to fast-forward through summer."[8] Writing the A.V. Club, Zack Handlen rated the episode an A-, noting that the episode "has a lot of really strong moments" and praising Duchovny's acting. However, he felt that the episode marked the point at which the series' overarching mythology would begin to lose focus, explaining that "it's troubling that instead of answering any big issues here ... the show only gives us new directions".[11] Chris Carter said of the episode, "I'm proud of the way it came together, what it did for the series, and the overwhelmingly positive response it has gotten. I'm very pleased beginning season three with where this episode put us—which is that it posed more questions than it answered."[14] He later said in 2005 that the episode brought a lot of interest to the show due to the apparent death of agent Mulder.[15] The episode, along with both other parts of the story arc, were listed concurrently as the second-best episode of the series by Den of Geek's Nina Sordi. Sordi noted that the plotline "laid the groundwork for the mythology arc for the rest of the series", adding that it "brought much more significance to what is to come".[16]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp. 225–227
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 176–179
3.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp. 127–128
4.^ Jump up to: a b Chris Carter (1994–1995). "Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: Anasazi". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (DVD) (Fox).
5.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 227
6.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 80–81
7.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p. 80
8.^ Jump up to: a b "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
9.Jump up ^ Genge, p. 7
10.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 176
11.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (June 27, 2010). ""F. Emasculata"/"Soft Light"/"Our Town"/"Anasazi" | The X-Files/Millennium". A.V. Club. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
12.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Media notes). Fox. 1994–1995.
13.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 249
14.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 128
15.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 68
16.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
BibliographyEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Genge, N.E. (1996). The New Unofficial X-Files Companion. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-67981-4.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 2
"Anasazi" on TheXFiles.com
"Anasazi" at the Internet Movie Database
"Anasazi" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 2
­"Little Green Men"·
 ­"The Host"·
 ­"Blood"·
 ­"Sleepless"·
 ­"Duane Barry"·
 ­"Ascension"·
 ­"3"·
 ­"One Breath"·
 ­"Firewalker"·
 ­"Red Museum"·
 ­"Excelsis Dei"·
 ­"Aubrey"·
 ­"Irresistible"·
 ­"Die Hand Die Verletzt"·
 ­"Fresh Bones"·
 ­"Colony"·
 ­"End Game"·
 ­"Fearful Symmetry"·
 ­"Død Kalm"·
 ­"Humbug"·
 ­"The Calusari"·
 ­"F. Emasculata"·
 ­"Soft Light"·
 ­"Our Town"·
 ­"Anasazi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 2) episodes



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The X-Files (season 3)

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The X-Files (season 3)
The X-Files Season 3.jpg
Region 1 DVD cover art
 
Country of origin
United States
No. of episodes
24
Broadcast

Original channel
Fox
Original run
September 22, 1995 – May 17, 1996
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1
May 8, 2001
Region 2
November 26, 2001
Season chronology

← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4

List of The X-Files episodes
The third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 22, 1995, concluded on the same channel on May 17, 1996, and contained 24 episodes. The season continues to follow the cases of FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, portrayed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson respectively, who investigate paranormal or supernatural cases, known as X-Files by the FBI.
The season features the conclusion of several plot-lines introduced in season two, while also introducing several new plot elements. Major plot arcs include an elaborate conspiracy being discovered when a fake alien autopsy video is acquired by Mulder, Scully's search for the killer of her sister, and the mystery surrounding X (Steven Williams). Pivotal characters such as the First Elder (Don S. Williams) and the alien virus black oil were first introduced in this season. In addition, the season features a wide variety of "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes, which feature stand-alone stories not of influence to the wider mythology of the series.
The season attained higher ratings than season two, receiving the highest viewing audience the series had yet achieved. Season premiere "The Blessing Way" debuted with a Nielsen household rating of 19.94, which more than doubled the premiere of the last season. The ratings consistently stayed above 15.0, making it one of the most watched series of the 1995–96 television line-up. The season received generally positive reviews from television critics, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards. Many of the episodes written by writer Darin Morgan received critical acclaim, including the episodes "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" which are often cited as some of the best of the series. Morgan left the series following this season, due to an inability to keep up with the fast paced nature of the show.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot overview
2 Crew
3 Themes
4 Reception 4.1 Ratings
4.2 Reviews
4.3 Accolades
5 Cast 5.1 Main cast
5.2 Recurring cast 5.2.1 Also starring
5.2.2 Guest starring

6 Episodes
7 DVD release
8 Notes
9 References 9.1 Footnotes
9.2 Bibliography
10 External links
Plot overview[edit]
See also: Mythology of The X-Files
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is later found in the desert following the events of the second season finale and nursed back to health by Albert Hosteen (Floyd Red Crow Westerman).[1] Meanwhile, Scully investigates the possible involvement of the smallpox eradication program in human genetic experimentation, discovering that a Nazi scientist who defected during Operation Paperclip has been conducting human experimentation to create alien-human hybrids. Her sister Melissa (Melinda McGraw), however, is shot by assassins who mistake her for Dana, and dies in hospital that night.[2][3][4]
Investigating evidence of an alien autopsy, Mulder infiltrates a secretive government train carriage carrying an alien-human hybrid. Mulder is almost killed by a Syndicate operative guarding the hybrid, but is saved by his informant X (Steven Williams). X had been tipped off about Mulder's activities by the agent's partner Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Scully, meanwhile, meets a group of women with abduction experiences similar to her own, and meets another member of the Syndicate known as the First Elder (Don S. Williams), who claims during her abduction she was placed on a similar train car and experimented upon by the Japanese scientists.[5][6][7]
The crew of a French salvage ship trying to raise a Word War II-era submarine from the sea floor are stricken with massive radiation burns—except for one, who has been infected with a parasitic black oil discovered on the submarine. The oil is controlling the crewman's body, and after passing through several hosts, has overtaken Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), who Mulder has been pursuing. Scully finds that the submarine had been involved in discovering the oil on the sea floor during World War II, under the guise of finding a sunken fighter plane. The infected Krycek makes his way to a missile silo used to hide a UFO, and the oil escapes his body to board the craft. Meanwhile, Scully has tracked down Luis Cardinal, the man responsible for killing her sister.[8][9][10]
Crew[edit]

 

 As with season two, David Duchovny received two writing credits in season three, including for the season finale.
Development of the first episode of the season, "The Blessing Way", began with the second season finale "Anasazi".[11] Both of those episodes, along with "Paper Clip", form a three part trilogy of episodes that began the third season.[12] "Anasazi" was directed by R. W. Goodwin, and "Paper Clip" was directed by Rob Bowman, two directors who directed a number of episodes for the series.[12] Bowman directed a total of eight episodes for the season, more than other anyone else. Series creator Chris Carter also served as executive producer and showrunner and wrote eight episodes.[13]
Darin Morgan had a small involvement in the second season, and was asked to contribute more content for the third.[14] He first appeared in "The Host" as the Flukeman, and was brought on by his brother Glen Morgan to help write the episode "Blood".[15][14] Morgan's first sole credit as a writer came in the episode "Humbug", which received a positive reception by the staff.[14] David Duchovny expressed an enjoyment for working with Morgan, commenting "what I loved about his scripts was that he seemed to be trying to destroy the show."[14] Morgan wrote a total of three episodes, but later left the series because he could not keep up with the fast paced nature of network television. He also expressed a negative opinion of the way his teleplays were handled, despite a positive reception by both critics and the crew of his work.[13] He also contributed to the script for the episode "Quagmire".[13][14] After writing one episode the previous season, Vince Gilligan returned to write another solo episode for the season, now credited as a creative consultant.[16] Cast member David Duchovny collaborated with Howard Gordon and Chris Carter for two episodes receiving story credit.[12]
New writers in the third season included story editor Jeffrey Vlaming who wrote two episodes, supervising producer Charles Grant Craig who wrote a single episode, Kim Newtown who wrote two episodes, and staff writer John Shiban who wrote two episodes.[12] All new writers except Shiban did not return after this season. Series visual effects producer Mat Beck also wrote an episode. Other producers included production manager and producer Joseph Patrick Finn and co-producer Paul Rabwin.[12]
Themes[edit]
"Nisei" and "731," show a darker side to the series, exploring the public's distrust in the government.[17] Other episodes dealing with the wider mythology of the series—"Talitha Cumi", "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha"—explore similar concepts, showcasing the shadow government plot line of the series.[18] Episodes like "2Shy" and "Pusher" feature sadistic villains, containing human beings capable of highly immoral acts despite their seemingly mundane appearances.[15] Another episode with a serial killer antagonist, "Grotesque", revolves around the way that evil can change and influence people.[19] "Oubliette" offers a sentimental and emotional plot driven by the kidnapping of a young girl.[20] The episode features parallels to the real life Polly Klaas case and provides commentary on both stockholm syndrome and trauma.[21]
Aliens and serial killers are not the only antagonists in the season; several episodes revolve around more traditional, B-movie inspired monsters, taking influence from horror films. These episodes include "War of the Coprophages" and "Quagmire", about killer cockroaches and a lake monster.[14] Several episodes have satirical elements, including "D.P.O.", "Syzygy" and "War of the Coprophages", with the latter two showcasing how the public can create panic out of need.[22][23] Both "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" play against tropes and the established formula of the series, subverting themes the series usually followed.[22]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The third season of The X-Files debuted with "The Blessing Way" on September 22, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.3, with a 22 share, meaning that roughly 12.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 22 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[18] The episode was viewed by 19.94 million viewers.[18] "The Blessing Way" was, at the time, the highest-rated episode of The X-Files to air; the previous record belonged to the season two entry "Fresh Bones", which only scored a 11.3 rating with a 19 share.[18][24] As the season continued, however, ratings dropped slightly and stabilized.[18] After the season premiere, the highest-rated episode the season was the finale, "Talitha Cumi", which was viewed by 17.86 million viewers. The season hit a low with the twenty-third and penultimate episode of the season, "Wetwired", which was viewed by only 14.48 million viewers.[18]
The series was ranked as number 55 during the 1995–96 television season,[25] and was viewed by an average of 15.40 million viewers, an increase in almost seven percent when compared to the second season, which was viewed by 14.50.[26] In its third season, The X-Files became Fox's top-rated program in the 18–49 year old demographic.[26] The third season of the show was the last to be aired on Friday nights; for its fourth season, the show was moved to Sunday.[26]
Reviews[edit]

 

 "Pusher", which was written by Vince Gilligan has been called one of the best episodes of the season.
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club called the third season The X-Files' "best season and maybe one of the greatest TV seasons of all time", noting it was consistent and "[swung] from strength to strength" between mythology and stand-alone episodes. However, he thought it "starts out kind of terribly" with "The Blessing Way".[27] Zack Handlen, VanDerWerff's colleague, wrote that the third season was "one of the show's strongest, with the conspiracy arc still keeping tension high instead of just vamping for time. By this point, the sometimes awkward effects work of the early years is gone, and the overall direction is highly polished, giving even the season's weakest entries a cinematic feel". He also stated that Morgan's "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" were "The X-Files's two greatest hours".[28] The writing credits provided by Morgan was widely cited as a highlight of the season. "War of the Coprophages" written by him received positive reviews, and Entertainment Weekly gave "War of the Coprophages" an A–, who praised the absurdity and entertainment value of the episode.[13] Another episode, "Quagmire" containing some writing credits by Morgan received positive reviews, with the 10 minute dialogue sequence featuring Mulder and Scully receiving highly positive reviews.[29][30]
Gilligan's episode "Pusher" was also cited as one of the best episodes of the series by both IGN and Den of Geek, and Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files, named the episode the third best episode of The X-Files and called it the "best MOTW ["monster-of-the-week"] in the series history"[31][32][33] Duchovney considers his performance in "Oubliette" as his favorite of the season, an episode that also received mostly positive reviews.[21][34] Writing for DVD Talk, Earl Cressey rated the season overall four-and-a-half stars out of five, finding that the series' increased budget meant that its production values and the quality of its guest appearances were better than previous seasons.[16]
Accolades[edit]
The third season earned the series eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations. It received its second consecutive nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, Gillian Anderson received her first nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and the episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" was nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Series. The series won five awards, including Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series, for the episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" written by Darin Morgan; Peter Boyle won for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in that same episode. The episode "Nisei" won for both Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama Series. John S. Bartley won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series due to the episode "Grotesque".[35] Duchovny and Anderson were each nominated for a Golden Globe Award for their performances.[36]
Cast[edit]
The following actors and actresses appear in the season:[nb 1]
Main cast[edit]
David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully
Recurring cast[edit]
Also starring[edit]
Mitch Pileggi as Deputy Director Walter Skinner (10 episodes)
Guest starring[edit]
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man (7 episodes)
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike (5 episodes)
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers (4 episodes)
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly (4 episodes)
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek (4 episodes)
Brendan Beiser as Pendrell (4 episodes)
Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal (4 episodes)
Don S. Williams as First Elder (4 episodes)
Steven Williams as X (4 episodes)
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully (3 episodes)
John Neville as Well-Manicured Man (3 episodes)
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder (3 episodes)
Peter Donat as William Mulder (2 episodes)
Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat (2 episodes)
Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully (2 episodes)
Stephen McHattie as Red-Haired Man (2 episodes)
Morris Panych as Grey-Haired Man (2 episodes)
Floyd Westerman as Albert Hosteen (2 episodes)
Roy Thinnes as Jeremiah Smith (1 episode)
Brian Thompson as Alien Bounty Hunter (1 episode)
Robert Wisden as Robert Patrick Modell (1 episode)
Episodes[edit]
Episodes marked with a double dagger (double-dagger) are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc.[nb 2]
See also: List of The X-Files episodes
The X-Files season 3 episodes

No. in
 series
No. in
 season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Production
 code[12]
U.S. viewers
 (millions)

50
1 "The Blessing Way"double-dagger R. W. Goodwin Chris Carter September 22, 1995 3X01 19.94[18]
The Cigarette Smoking Man works quickly to recover the stolen computer files, but finds himself thwarted by a man who he hoped was dead. Meanwhile, Scully finds herself at a loss for her next step and turns to her family for support, since Mulder is otherwise engaged fighting for survival. 
51
2 "Paper Clip"double-dagger Rob Bowman Chris Carter September 29, 1995 3X02 17.20[18]
Mulder and Scully search for answers regarding the old photograph with his father and other unnamed men. Their search takes them to the abandoned Strughold Mining Facility where they uncover a dangerous secret. 
52
3 "D.P.O." Kim Manners Howard Gordon October 6, 1995 3X03 15.57[18]
Mulder is skeptical over a coroner’s report regarding the fifth person to be struck by lightning in a small Oklahoma town. Their investigation into the latest death seems to point to the only person to have survived a lightning strike, an emotionally-charged youth. Guest starring Jack Black and Giovanni Ribisi. 
53
4 "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" David Nutter Darin Morgan October 13, 1995 3X04 15.38[18]
Skeptical of a famous psychic’s predictions regarding the murder of several prognosticators, Mulder instead finds someone who he believes truly can predict the future. Catching the killer could prove difficult, though, particularly if the murderer can also see into his future. Guest starring Peter Boyle. 
54
5 "The List" Chris Carter Chris Carter October 20, 1995 3X05 16.72[18]
A death row inmate makes good on his promise to come back from the dead and kill the five people involved in his death. The fear of his retribution has everyone scrambling to determine if they are on the list, while Mulder and Scully attempt to determine how he has returned to execute his tormentors. Guest starring Ken Foree, Badja Djola and Bokeem Woodbine. 
55
6 "2Shy" David Nutter Jeffrey Vlaming November 3, 1995 3X06 14.83[18]
Meeting insecure women through an on-line service, a serial killer seduces his prey with the right words. However, Mulder and Scully determine these killings are far from ordinary by the presence of a strange substance coating the victims, a substance which seems to digest the fatty acids in flesh. Guest starring Timothy Carhart, Catherine Paolone and James Handy. 
56
7 "The Walk" Rob Bowman John Shiban November 10, 1995 3X07 15.91[18]
Another failed suicide attempt by a patient in a military hospital interests Mulder with the talk of a “phantom soldier” which has prevented the man’s death. The general in charge is at first opposed to the FBI’s involvement until the invisible killer begins stalking him. But none believe when the primary suspect is a quadruple amputee. Guest starring Thomas Kopache, Willie Garson, Don Thompson, Nancy Sorel and Ian Tracey. 
57
8 "Oubliette" Kim Manners Charles Grant Craig November 17, 1995 3X08 15.90[18]
When a young girl is kidnapped from her home, a fast food worker miles away collapses on the job, apparently experiencing exactly what the child is feeling. When Mulder learns that the woman was kidnapped and held hostage for years as a child, he begins to believe that she may be the key to help find the missing girl. Guest starring Tracey Ellis, Michael Chieffo, Jewel Staite and Ken Ryan. 
58
9 "Nisei"double-dagger David Nutter Chris Carter & Howard Gordon & Frank Spotnitz November 24, 1995 3X09 16.36[18]
A mail order videotape of an alien autopsy blossoms into a much more complicated investigation when Mulder and Scully find the distributor of the tape murdered in his own home apparently by a high-ranking Japanese diplomat. While Mulder’s search for the video leads him to a train car, Scully investigates a Mutual UFO Network group and discovers several women who claim to know her. Guest starring Stephen McHattie and Robert Ito. 
59
10 "731"double-dagger Rob Bowman Frank Spotnitz December 1, 1995 3X10 17.68[18]
Mulder is trapped on a train carriage with a ticking bomb and a killer who claims to be an NSA agent. Guest starring Stephen McHattie and Robert Ito. 
60
11 "Revelations" David Nutter Kim Newton December 15, 1995 3X11 15.25[18]
Mulder tracks a series of religiously motivated murders. Each of the eleven victims claims to have been stigmatic but all turned out to be frauds. When Mulder and Scully discover a little boy displaying inexplicable wounds of religious significance, they try to protect him from the killer they know will be coming. 
61
12 "War of the Coprophages" Kim Manners Darin Morgan January 5, 1996 3X12 16.32[18]
A small town is plagued by deaths in which the bodies are found covered in cockroaches. Working from home, Scully has scientific explanations for all of them but Mulder—at the crime scene with an attractive bug expert—suspects the insects may not be organic, or earthly. 
62
13 "Syzygy" Rob Bowman Chris Carter January 26, 1996 3X13 16.04[18]
Mulder and Scully investigate strange murders in New Hampshire that may be due to a rare planetary alignment that affects people's behavior 
63
14 "Grotesque" Kim Manners Howard Gordon February 2, 1996 3X14 18.32[18]
Agents Mulder and Scully join Mulder’s former mentor, the FBI’s chief profiler, on a case involving a serial killer who claims to be possessed by a demonic force. The case gets even more mysterious when the suspect is apprehended and the murders continue. Mulder gets involved more deeply than expected and Scully as well as Skinner are deeply concerned. 
64
15 "Piper Maru"double-dagger Rob Bowman Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter February 9, 1996 3X15 16.44[18]
When a French salvage ship sends a diving crew to recover a mysterious wreckage from World War II, the crew falls prey to a bizarre illness and Agents Mulder and Scully join the investigation. The investigation leads to the discovery of a familiar face, and to Skinner's life being threatened. 
65
16 "Apocrypha"double-dagger Kim Manners Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter February 16, 1996 3X16 16.71[18]
While Mulder continues to investigate a bizarre illness that originated with the discovery of a mysterious World War II wreckage buried at sea, several government figures try to thwart their efforts. And as Skinner recovers from his shooting, Scully discovers that he is still in danger, from the man who killed her sister. 
66
17 "Pusher" Rob Bowman Vince Gilligan February 23, 1996 3X17 16.20[18]
Agents Mulder and Scully’s assistance is requested for a case involving a man seemingly capable of bending people to his will. The suspect uses his mysterious abilities to manipulate Agent Mulder into a dangerous end game. 
67
18 "Teso Dos Bichos" Kim Manners John Shiban March 8, 1996 3X18 17.38[18]
A series of deaths occurs immediately after an ancient artifact is brought to Boston from an excavation site in Ecuador. According to Scully, the deaths appear to be the result of political terrorism, but Mulder suspects something more improbable. 
68
19 "Hell Money" Tucker Gates Jeffrey Vlaming March 29, 1996 3X19 14.86[18]
A string of mysterious deaths of recent Chinese immigrants brings Agents Mulder and Scully to San Francisco's Chinatown. The Agents team up with a Chinese-American detective to better understand the language and customs of the Chinese culture, but one thing remains frighteningly clear—all of the bodies are missing various internal organs. 
69
20 "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" Rob Bowman Darin Morgan April 12, 1996 3X20 16.08[18]
When a couple claims to have been abducted by aliens, Agents Mulder and Scully try to get at the truth but everyone has a different version of the story, including the “aliens” themselves. 
70
21 "Avatar" James Charleston Story by: David Duchovny & Howard Gordon
Teleplay by: Howard Gordon April 26, 1996 3X21 14.62[18]
During a difficult time in assistant director Skinner’s life, he meets a woman in a bar and spends the night with her. The next morning, the woman is dead and he is accused of murder. Agents Mulder and Scully join the investigation to clear their supervisor’s name. As they unravel the threads of a conspiracy, they also learn more about Skinner’s personal affairs. 
71
22 "Quagmire" Kim Manners Kim Newton May 3, 1996 3X22 16.00[18]
When a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances are reported near a lake in a small town, Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate. With local folklore of a killer sea serpent running rampant amongst the locals, the agents must take their search for the truth to the water. 
72
23 "Wetwired" Rob Bowman Mat Beck May 10, 1996 3X23 14.48[18]
As the agents investigate a series of murders committed by ordinary citizens angered after seeing illusory images, Scully's trust in Mulder is put to the ultimate test. 
73
24 "Talitha Cumi"double-dagger R. W. Goodwin Story by: David Duchovny & Chris Carter
Teleplay by: Chris Carter May 17, 1996 3X24 17.86[18]
Agents Mulder and Scully search for a man who seems to possess strange powers, which leads to the discovery of a dangerous secret from Mulder’s past. The secret could bring Mulder and Scully to the brink of exposing the truth about alien existence. 
DVD release[edit]
The X-Files – The Complete Third Season
Set details[12] Special features[12]
24 episodes
7-disc set
1.33:1 aspect ratio
Subtitles: English, Spanish
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
 "The Truth About Season Three" Documentary
Behind the scenes clips
12 episode interviews with Chris Carter
Special effects clips
Deleted scenes
17 promo spots
DVD-ROM game: "Unholy Alliances"

Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 3
May 8, 2001 November 26, 2001 November 12, 2001
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Cast information taken from Brian Lowry's 1996 book Trust No One: The Official Third Season Guide to The X-Files, published by Harper Collins.
2.Jump up ^ The episodes were included in the DVD collections The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction and The X-Files Mythology, Volume 2 – Black Oil, released by Fox.
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ R.W. Goodwin (director); Chris Carter (writer) (May 19, 1995). "Anasazi". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 25. Fox.
2.Jump up ^ R.W. Goodwin (director); Chris Carter (writer) (September 22, 1995). "The Blessing Way". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 1. Fox.
3.Jump up ^ Rob Bowman (director); Chris Carter (writer) (September 29, 1995). "Paper Clip". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 2. Fox.
4.Jump up ^ Lowry (1996), pp. 225–237
5.Jump up ^ Rob Bowman (director); Frank Spotnitz (writer) (November 24, 1995). "Nisei". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 9. Fox.
6.Jump up ^ David Nutter (director); Chris Carter, Howard Gordon Frank Spotnitz (writers) (December 1, 1995). "731". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 10. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 204–208
8.Jump up ^ Rob Bowman (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers) (February 9, 1996). "Piper Maru". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 15. Fox.
9.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writer) (February 16, 1996). "Apocrypha". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 16. Fox.
10.Jump up ^ Lovece (1996), pp. 211–212
11.Jump up ^ David Nutter, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (Liner notes). Fox.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h R. W. Goodwin, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Liner notes). Fox.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 3 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Kirby, Jonathan (October 29, 2007). "Not Just a Fluke: How Darin Morgan Saved The X-Files". PopMatters. PopMatters Media. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 34
16.^ Jump up to: a b Collura, Scott, et al (May 12, 2008). "IGN's 10 Favorite X-Files Standalone Episodes". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
17.Jump up ^ Delasara, p. 181
18.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Lowry (1996), p. 251
19.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Grotesque". Critical Myth. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
20.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 121
21.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 120
22.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (August 1, 2010). "Syzygy"/"Grotesque"/"Piper Maru". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
23.Jump up ^ Harrisson, Juliette (September 6, 2011). "A look back over The X-Files' finest stand-alone episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
24.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), p. 249
25.Jump up ^ "Season Winner NBC Coasts, While CBS Outrates ABC". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 30, 1996.
26.^ Jump up to: a b c Lowry (1996), p. 249–250
27.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (July 4, 2010). "The Blessing Way/Paper Clip/DPO". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
28.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (October 21, 2010). "Gateways To Geekery: The X-Files". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
29.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2010). ""Quagmire"/"Wetwired"/"Talitha Cumi"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
30.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1996). "Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 28 (3): 18–40.
31.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 219
32.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
33.Jump up ^ Cressey, Earl (April 18, 2001). "X-Files: Season Three : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
34.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 63–64
35.Jump up ^ "Primetime Emmy® Award Database". Emmys.com. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
36.Jump up ^ "HFPA – Award Search". GoldenGlobes.org. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
Bibliography[edit]
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105353-8.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55369-812-8.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 978-0-9759446-9-1.
Delasara, Jan (2000). PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration. Mcfarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0789-1.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
List of The X-Files episodes at the Internet Movie Database
List of The X-Files episodes at TV.com

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The Blessing Way (The X-Files)

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"The Blessing Way"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 1
Directed by
R. W. Goodwin
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
3X01
Original air date
September 22, 1995
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Floyd Westerman as Albert Hosteen
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Peter Donat as William Mulder
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
John Neville as Well-Manicured Man
Don S. Williams as First Elder
Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat
Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal
Byron Chief-Moon as Father
Dakota House as Eric
Michael David Sims as Senior Agent
Forbes Angus as MD
Mitch Davies as The Camouflage Man
Ian Victor as The Minister
Ernie Foort as Security Guard
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Anasazi" Next →
 "Paper Clip"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Blessing Way" is the first episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 22, 1995. It was directed by R.W. Goodwin, and written by series creator Chris Carter. "The Blessing Way" featured guest appearances by Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Peter Donat and Jerry Hardin, and introduced John Neville as the Well-Manicured Man. The episode helped explore the overarching mythology, or fictional history of The X-Files. "The Blessing Way" earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.3, being watched by 19.94 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode has received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder is found near death on a Navajo reservation, and is nursed back to health by the tribe, led by Albert Hosteen (Westerman). Meanwhile, Scully investigates an implant found in her neck, and fears that her life—and those of her family—may be in danger. "The Blessing Way" is part of a three-episode storyline, carrying on from the second season finale "Anasazi", and continuing in the next episode, "Paper Clip".
Series creator Chris Carter, who called the episode one of his favourite episodes to write, created the episode as a way to explore how the character of Fox Mulder would react to the death of his father. The episode contained several elaborate special effects; effects producer Mat Beck considered the sequence where Mulder has a vision of Deep Throat and his father to be one of the most difficult of the season.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References 4.1 Footnotes
4.2 Bibliography
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Two Grey Hills, New Mexico, Albert Hosteen (Floyd Red Crow Westerman) and his family are beaten by the Men in Black as they search for the whereabouts of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is pursued by a black helicopter before soldiers retrieve her printed copies of Albert's translations of the digital tape. Scully denies having the original tape, saying it is in Mulder's possession. Upon returning to Washington, the FBI puts Scully on mandatory leave and forces her to turn in her badge and gun. Upon entering Mulder's office, she finds the tape missing.
Meanwhile, in New York City, The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) appears before the Syndicate, who question him over the whereabouts of the tape. Mulder, alive but severely wounded, is found buried under some rocks near the buried boxcar. Hosteen has Mulder taken to a Navajo sweat lodge to be healed during a "Blessing Way" ritual. During the ritual, Mulder has ghostly visions of Deep Throat and his father, who urge him to recover and continue his search for the truth.
Melvin Frohike visits Scully's apartment and shows her a newspaper article about Kenneth Soona's murder. When she returns to FBI headquarters, the metal detector curiously goes off. Scully presents Skinner with the newspaper article, thinking that the data from Soona's death can clear Mulder in his father's murder. Skinner, however, refuses to do any follow-up on it. Leaving the building, Scully has a hunch upon seeing the metal detector again that leads to locating metal in the back of her neck. Scully sees a doctor, who removes a small metal implant.
Scully's sister Melissa urges her to see a hypnotherapist to recover lost memories of her abduction. Scully heads there, but becomes scared and stops the session. Returning home, Scully finds Skinner leaving her apartment and driving off; he later denies being there. Mulder, recovered from the Blessing Way ritual, is told by Albert that he cannot bathe or change clothes for four days. Scully heads to Boston to attend Bill's funeral, where she introduces herself to Mulder's mother, Teena. At the cemetery, Scully is approached by a Syndicate member known as the Well-Manicured Man, who warns her that she is about to be killed, either by a pair of assassins or by someone she knows. Mulder goes to Connecticut and questions Teena about an old photo of his father standing with the other members of the Syndicate in front of a mysterious building.
Melissa calls Scully and tells her she is coming over. After receiving a call from someone who immediately hangs up, Scully leaves her apartment and tells Melissa that she'll head to her home instead. As she leaves, Skinner pulls up in his car, telling her they need to speak in private. Melissa shows up soon afterwards and is mistakenly shot by Luis Cardinal, who is hiding there with Alex Krycek. Realizing they shot the wrong person, the two flee. Meanwhile, after taking Skinner to Mulder's apartment, Scully holds him at gunpoint, believing he is the traitor the Well-Manicured Man spoke of. Skinner tells Scully that he is in possession of the digital tape. Just then, someone steps outside the door. This distracts Scully enough for Skinner to pull out his gun on her.[1][2]
Production[edit]
Series creator Chris Carter felt this was one of his favorite episodes to write, as he found it interesting to explore how the character of Fox Mulder would react to the death of his father. Carter had recently lost a parent himself when he began work on the episode.[3] Frank Spotnitz said of the episode "The expectations were very high coming after a summer's worth of anticipation to see how Mulder got out of the boxcar. We knew we had to answer that question and still leave an intriguing enough dilemma at the end of the show to bring viewers back for the third and final part. I also thought it was a big gamble to do all that Indian mysticism stuff. I thought a lot of people would not necessarily respond to that. So I was nervous about that, but very excited about the Scully storyline and the way all of that played out with Mulder and Skinner."[4] Carter attended Navajo chants and rituals to ensure the accuracy of the events in this episode, after being alerted to inaccuracies in the previous episode by Navajo scholars.[5] A sand painter was brought in to create the two sand paintings for the Blessing Way sequence, which took an entire day to create.[6] The scenes set in New Mexico were filmed in the same Vancouver quarry that had been used as a stand-in in the previous episode, Anasazi, the repainting of which required only minor touch-ups.[7]
Visual effects producer Mat Beck considered the sequence where Fox Mulder has a vision of Deep Throat and his father the most difficult of the season.[8] The end of the episode reads "In Memoriam, Larry Wells, 1946 - 1995." Wells was a costume designer on the show.[9] Mark Snow slightly changed the piano melody from the opening theme music (and the corresponding shortened theme in the credits) from the first two seasons in this episode. The music would remain unchanged for several years. The title of the episode refers to Navajo ceremony of the Blessing Way. This is the first episode where Mitch Pileggi is credited under Also Starring at the opening credits.[10]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Blessing Way" premiered on the Fox network on September 22, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on September 12, 1996.[11] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.3 with a 22 share, meaning that roughly 12.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 22 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[12] A total of 19.94 million viewers watched this episode during its original airing, making it the most viewed episode of the third season.[12]
The episode has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In an overview of the third season in Entertainment Weekly, "The Blessing Way" was rated a B+. The episode was derided for its "corny dream sequence and high-flown cosmic hooey", although the introduction of the Well-Manicured Man and Mitch Pileggi's portrayal of Walter Skinner were seen as highlights.[13] Writing for the A.V. Club, Todd VanDerWerff panned the episode's "pseudo-mystical bullshit", rating the episode a B-. He felt that the resolution of the cliffhanger from the previous episode "Anasazi"—that of Mulder's apparent death—was poorly handled, and that the character of Albert Hosteen was perhaps the worst in the series. However, the introduction of plot threads such as Scully's implant and the alien-human hybrids were deemed positive factors.[14] The episode, along with both other parts of the story arc, were listed concurrently as the second-best episode of the series by Den of Geek's Nina Sordi. Sordi noted that the plotline "laid the groundwork for the mythology arc for the rest of the series", adding that it "brought much more significance to what is to come".[15]
David Duchovny was somewhat disappointed with the episode, hoping he would have had a chance to do more in an episode that was primarily a symbolic journey for him rather than a real one. The actor said "I like the psychology, and I like the thinking that went into the episode as a viewer. As an actor, I felt like an opportunity passed me by. If I had to do any episode over again, it would be that one." The actor called the episode in 1995 the greatest missed opportunity they had. Chris Carter disagreed, stating that Fox Mulder's role in the episode was the right way to do it, and that the dramatic weight for the episode had to shift from Mulder to Dana Scully.[8]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), pp.231–233
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.181–183
3.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (narrator). "Chris Carter Talks About Season 3: The Blessing Way". The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (featurette) (Fox). Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
4.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp.138–139
5.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), p.233
6.Jump up ^ Edwards, p.139
7.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, p.84
8.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1996), p.78
9.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), p.234
10.Jump up ^ Chris Carter, Kim Manners and Frank Spotnitz (2000). "The Truth Behind Season 3". The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (DVD) (FOX Home Entertainment).
11.Jump up ^ R. W. Goodwin, Rob Bowman, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Liner notes). Fox.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1996), p. 251
13.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
14.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (July 4, 2010). ""The Blessing Way"/"Paper Clip"/"DPO" | The X-Files/Millennium". Retrieved January 3, 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105353-8.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"The Blessing Way" on The X-Files official website
"The Blessing Way" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Blessing Way" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 3
­"The Blessing Way"·
 ­"Paper Clip"·
 ­"D.P.O."·
 ­"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"·
 ­"The List"·
 ­"2Shy"·
 ­"The Walk"·
 ­"Oubliette"·
 ­"Nisei"·
 ­"731"·
 ­"Revelations"·
 ­"War of the Coprophages"·
 ­"Syzygy"·
 ­"Grotesque"·
 ­"Piper Maru"·
 ­"Apocrypha"·
 ­"Pusher"·
 ­"Teso Dos Bichos"·
 ­"Hell Money"·
 ­"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"·
 ­"Avatar"·
 ­"Quagmire"·
 ­"Wetwired"·
 ­"Talitha Cumi"
 

 

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Paper Clip

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For other uses, see Paper clip (disambiguation).
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"Paper Clip"
The X-Files episode
Paper Clip TXF.jpg
Mulder below an Alien spaceship
 
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 2
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
3X02
Original air date
September 29, 1995
Guest actors

Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
John Neville as Well-Manicured Man
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Floyd Westerman as Albert Hosteen
Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Don S. Williams as First Elder
Lenno Britos as Luis Cardinal
Walter Gotell as Victor Klemper
Robert Lewis as E.R. Doctor
Tony Morelli as Blue Suited Man (uncredited)
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "The Blessing Way" Next →
 "D.P.O."

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"Paper Clip" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 29, 1995. It was directed by Rob Bowman, and written by series creator Chris Carter. "Paper Clip" featured guest appearances by Sheila Larken, Melinda McGraw and Nicholas Lea. The episode is one of those that explored the overarching mythology, or fictional history of The X-Files. "Paper Clip" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.1, being watched by 17.2 million people in its initial broadcast. "Paper Clip" has received positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate information gleaned from secret government records, finding that a Nazi scientist working as part of Operation Paperclip may have been responsible for creating a race of human-alien hybrids. "Paper Clip" concludes a three-episode storyline, carrying on from the second season finale "Anasazi" and the third season opener "The Blessing Way".
The creators of the series likened themes of the episode to the Star Wars trilogy, referring to the revelations about Mulder's father, and Sophie's Choice, referring to how the Mulders were forced to choose Fox or Samantha to be taken. In addition, the episode has been critically examined, due to its themes pertaining to "arrogated" scientists and their "connection to ancient evil".

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Themes
3 Production
4 Broadcast and reception
5 Footnotes 5.1 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Continuing from the previous episode, "The Blessing Way", Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) hold each other at gunpoint. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), the person lingering outside his apartment, bursts in and forces Skinner to put his gun down. He also demands that Skinner surrender the digital tape. Skinner insists on keeping the tape, saying it is their only leverage in exposing the conspiracy.
The agents visit The Lone Gunmen, showing them a photo featuring Bill Mulder, The Smoking Man, Deep Throat, and other members of the Syndicate. The Lone Gunmen also recognize Victor Klemper, a notorious Nazi scientist who was brought to the United States under Operation Paperclip. Melvin Frohike informs Scully of her sister Melissa's condition. Mulder persuades Scully not to visit Melissa at the hospital, since she could be targeted there.
Furious that an innocent person was murdered, the Syndicate demands that Smoking Man produce the digital tape. The Smoking Man promises to do so the following day. Meanwhile, Mulder and Scully visit Klemper, who says that the photo was taken at a former mining facility in West Virginia. After the agents leave, Klemper calls the Well-Manicured Man and informs him that Mulder is alive. The news causes the Syndicate to further mistrust the Smoking Man. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Albert Hosteen visits Melissa while a suited man loiters nearby.
Mulder and Scully arrive at the mining facility and, using the code for Napier's constant given to them by Klemper, unlock one of the reinforced doors inside. The agents discover a large complex of filing cabinets containing smallpox vaccination records and tissue samples. Mulder finds his sister's file and finds that it was originally meant for him. Meanwhile, Skinner tells the Smoking Man that he may have found the digital tape. The Smoking Man is agitated at this, insisting that he will not make a deal with Skinner and tacitly threatening his life.
Hearing noise, Mulder heads outside and witnesses a UFO flying overhead; inside, small beings run past Scully. Cars full of armed soldiers arrive, and the agents flee. The agents meet with Skinner at a diner in rural Maryland. Skinner wants to turn over the tape in exchange for their reinstatement and safety. After initially objecting, Mulder agrees to let Skinner turn the tape over. Skinner heads to see Melissa in the hospital and is told by Albert of the mysterious blue-suited man outside. Skinner chases the man to a stairwell where he is attacked by Alex Krycek and Luis Cardinal, who steal the tape and flee.
Krycek narrowly escapes an attempt on his life when his car explodes. Krycek phones the Smoking Man, telling him that he has the tape. The Smoking Man lies to the rest of the Syndicate, telling them that Scully's would-be assassin was killed in the car bombing and that the tape has been destroyed. Mulder and Scully return to Klemper's greenhouse, finding the Well Manicured Man there. He admits to knowing Mulder's father and states that he helped gather genetic data for post-apocalyptic identification, data Klemper used to work on alien-human hybrids. Samantha was taken to ensure Bill Mulder's silence after he learned of the experiments.
Mulder confronts his mother, who tells him that his father chose that Samantha be taken. At FBI headquarters, Skinner once again meets with the Smoking Man about the tape. The Smoking Man calls Skinner's bluff, knowing he no longer has the tape, but Skinner reveals that Albert and twenty other Navajo have memorized the contents of the tape and are ready to reveal it if either Mulder or Scully are harmed. Mulder meets with Scully at the hospital, who reveals that her sister died a few hours before. Mulder tells Scully that he believes that the truth is still in the X-Files. Scully tells him that she's heard the truth, and now what she wants are the answers.[1][2]
Themes[edit]
Jan Delasara, in the book '"PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files" argues that episodes like "Paper Clip", or the later episodes like "Nisei" and "731", show the public's trust in science "eroding",[3] Delasara proposes that "arrogated" scientists who are "rework[ing] the fabric of life" are causing the public's faith in science to fade drastically, "a concern", she notes, "that is directly addressed by X-Files episodes".[3]
Moreover, she notes that almost all of the scientists portrayed in The X-Files are depicted with a "connection to ancient evil", with the lone exception being Agent Scully.[3] In "Paper Clip" one of the main scientists is an ex-Nazi.[3] As the episode proceeds, his scientific pursuits soon begin to paint him as the archetypical scientist who "goes too far", a serious factor Delasara argues "'alienates' [the public] further from science and its practitioners".[3]
Production[edit]
The aliens in this episode who run past Scully in the mining facility were portrayed by children aged eight and nine. The spacecraft spotted by Mulder was achieved by using a crane to lift lights over the building Mulder was outside.[4] Napier's constant is used as a code to access the mining facility in the episode, though the code used is in error. Scully and Mulder use the code "27828" to unlock the door when in fact the first five digits of Napier's Constant are 27182. The mining facility is named for Dr. Hubertus Strughold, a real-life German scientist who was employed by the United States after World War II. The fictional Victor Klemper is based on Strughold, who was accused of conducting similar experiments on humans. Interestingly, the name is almost identical to a Victor Klemperer who was a German Jew that escaped persecution during World War II by fleeing to American-controlled territory. The Strughold Mining Facility was filmed at the B.C. Museum of Mining, in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada.[5] This episode was dedicated in memoriam to Mario Mark Kennedy, an internet fan of the show who had died in a car accident in 1995.[1]
Story editor Frank Spotnitz said of the episode "I love 'Paper Clip'. I was thrilled with the plot. I know it moved very fast for some people, but I actually think that for some of these shows you don't need to understand everything. I think it is more exciting to go at rocket speed. Everybody was on the mark in that one; David and Gillian's performances, Rob Bowman's direction, Chris Carter's writing - everything was just terrific in that show". Bowman said "When I finished 'Paper Clip', I thought, 'I don't know what else I am going to do this year to top this'"[6] In 1996 Mitch Pileggi called the episode one of the show's finest, particularly enjoying the line where he tells The Smoking Man to "pucker up and kiss my ass". Pileggi claims that is one of his favorite lines. The scene was used frequently to introduce him at X-Files conventions.[7]
The creators likened themes of the episode to the Star Wars trilogy, referring to the revelations about Fox Mulder's father, and Sophie's Choice, referring to how the Mulders were forced to choose Fox or Samantha to be taken.[7] Carter included the motif of the white buffalo after reading a news story about the birth of a white buffalo calf, feeling that the image was so potent he did not mind that it did not entirely fit with the Navajo beliefs used elsewhere in the episode.[8]
Broadcast and reception[edit]


"Paper Clip" is one of the defining episodes of The X-Files because it simultaneously expands the conspiracy into the kind of giant you can never hope to fight and brings it down to a more prosaic level. The Cigarette Smoking Man is a multi-tentacled monster with his hands in everything that's out there, but he can also be defeated by a resourceful FBI director and a bunch of guys with top-notch memorization skills.
—The A.V. Club's Todd VanDerWerff on the episode's scope.[9]
"Paper Clip" premiered on the Fox network on September 29, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on September 19, 1996.[10] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.1 with a 20 share, meaning that roughly 11.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 20 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[11] A total of 17.2 million viewers watched this episode during its original airing.[11]
"Paper Clip" has received positive reviews from critics. In an overview of the third season in Entertainment Weekly, "Paper Clip" was rated an A-. It was called an "outstanding episode", but Scully's unwillingness to accept the paranormal after making contact was seen as "exacerbat[ing] a maddening trend".[12] Writing for The A.V. Club, Todd VanDerWerff rated the episode an A. He felt that its strengths came from its parallels with real world history, such as its handling of Operation Paperclip and the actions of the West during the Cold War, noting that "the compromises the United States and other Western nations made to survive the onslaught of communism in the Cold War were ones that should have made more of those nations' citizens take pause, stop to think about the cost of living free, but they almost never did".[9] The episode, along with both other parts of the story arc, were listed concurrently as the second-best episode of the series by Den of Geek's Nina Sordi. Sordi noted that the plotline "laid the groundwork for the mythology arc for the rest of the series", adding that it "brought much more significance to what is to come".[13]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, (1995), pp.235–237
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp.184–186
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Delasara, p. 181
4.Jump up ^ Lowry, (1995), p.238
5.Jump up ^ Chris Carter, Kim Manners and Frank Spotnitz (2000). "The Truth Behind Season 3". The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (DVD) (FOX Home Entertainment).
6.Jump up ^ Edwards,pp.140–141
7.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1996), p.84
8.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (narrator). "Chris Carter Talks About Season 3: Paper Clip". The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (featurette) (Fox). Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
9.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (July 4, 2010). ""The Blessing Way"/"Paper Clip"/"DPO" | The X-Files/Millennium". Retrieved January 3, 2012.
10.Jump up ^ R. W. Goodwin, Rob Bowman, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Liner notes). Fox.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1996), p. 251
12.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
13.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
References[edit]
Delasara, Jan (2000). PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files: A Critical Exploration. Mcfarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0789-1.
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105353-8.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"Paper Clip" on The X-Files official website
"Paper Clip" at the Internet Movie Database
"Paper Clip" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 3
­"The Blessing Way"·
 ­"Paper Clip"·
 ­"D.P.O."·
 ­"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"·
 ­"The List"·
 ­"2Shy"·
 ­"The Walk"·
 ­"Oubliette"·
 ­"Nisei"·
 ­"731"·
 ­"Revelations"·
 ­"War of the Coprophages"·
 ­"Syzygy"·
 ­"Grotesque"·
 ­"Piper Maru"·
 ­"Apocrypha"·
 ­"Pusher"·
 ­"Teso Dos Bichos"·
 ­"Hell Money"·
 ­"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"·
 ­"Avatar"·
 ­"Quagmire"·
 ­"Wetwired"·
 ­"Talitha Cumi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 3) episodes



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D.P.O.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"D.P.O."
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 3
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Howard Gordon
Production code
3X03
Original air date
October 6, 1995
Guest actors

Giovanni Ribisi as Darin Peter Oswald
Jack Black as Bart "Zero" Liquori
Ernie Lively as Sheriff Teller
Karen Witter as Sharon Kiveat
Steve Makaj as Frank Kiveat
Peter Anderson as Stan Buxton
Kate Robbins as Darin's Mom
Mar Andersons as Jack Hammond
Brent Chapman as Traffic Cop
Jason Anthony Griffith as First Paramedic
Bonnie Hay as Night Nurse
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Paper Clip" Next →
 "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"D.P.O." is the third episode of the third season of television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on October 6, 1995, on Fox, being written by Howard Gordon and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a stand alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster-of-the-Week pattern of the show. "D.P.O." earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.9, being watched by 15.57 million people in its initial broadcast, and received positive reviews.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of lightning-related deaths in Oklahoma, which are eventually connected to the only person to have survived a lightning strike, an emotionally-charged youth.
The original concept for the episode was a one line concept card stating "Lightning Boy" that had been tacked to a board in series creator Chris Carter's office since the first season. The episode contained several scenes of elaborate lightning effects. Notably, a "lightning machine" used for the sequence where Darrin is struck by lightning was created by Special Effects David Gauthier and buried under the ground.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 Footnotes 4.1 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
At a video arcade in Connerville, Oklahoma, two young men, Jack Hammond and Darin Peter Oswald, argue over a game of Virtua Fighter 2. Hammond pushes Oswald to the ground, after which the power in the arcade mysteriously shuts down – except to a jukebox, which plays "Ring the Bells" by James. When Hammond goes outside to start his car, he finds the same song playing on the radio. He is then fatally electrocuted through the ignition. Oswald, who has caused Hammond's death, returns to the game.
Fox Mulder and Dana Scully arrive in Connerville, where Hammond is the latest of five men who have died due to lightning-related causes. Upon visiting the arcade, Mulder finds Oswald's high scores on the game's display, realizing that he was playing the game on the night Hammond died; Oswald was the first of the victims, and the only one to have survived. When the agents visit a local automobile repair shop to question Oswald, he claims to have not witnessed anything. However, Mulder's cell phone mysteriously overheats in Oswald's presence.
Alarmed by the FBI's presence, Bart "Zero" Liquori, the arcade owner, visits Oswald at his home; a drunk Oswald dismisses him and summons lightning to strike down nearby cattle. The lightning strikes him instead, but he appears unharmed. The next day, the agents visit the scene and find a melted shoe print in the ground, linking it to Oswald. Meanwhile, Oswald uses his abilities to manipulate local traffic lights, causing a car accident. The agents visit Oswald's home and find a cut-out picture of Sharon Kiveat, Oswald's former high school teacher, inside a porn magazine.
At the scene of the car accident, Oswald's boss – who happens to be Sharon's husband – suffers a heart attack. The agents question Sharon at the hospital, who claims that he told her about his powers. The agents also go through Oswald's medical records, showing that he exhibited acute hypokalemia – electrolytic imbalance in his blood. Oswald is brought in for questioning by the agents, but he proclaims his innocence and his eventually released by the local sheriff. Oswald later causes Zero to be struck by lightning, thinking that he betrayed him.
The agents return to the hospital to protect the Kiveats, but the power goes out when they arrive. Oswald confronts Scully and Sharon, who agrees to leave with him. The sheriff tries to stop him, but Oswald kills him. While pursuing a fleeing Sharon, Oswald summons lightning but ends up striking himself once again. Oswald is held put in a psychiatric hospital, although the local district attorney has no idea how they will be able to prosecute him. As the agents observe Oswald, uses his powers to changes the channels of the TV in his room.[1][2]
Production[edit]

 

 Giovanni Ribisi had to audition twice before being cast as title character Darin Peter Oswald.
The original concept for the episode was a one line concept card stating "Lightning Boy" that had been tacked to a board in series creator Chris Carter's office since the first season. Carter's idea was solely about a boy who could control lightning, and the concept wasn't fleshed out into an episode until the third season. Writer Howard Gordon stated that the key moment in the episode's conception came when he decided to use the boy's power as a metaphor for disenfranchised adolescence.[3] Gordon described the episode's concept as "Beavis and Butt-head electrified".[4] Gordon claimed that the episode suffered conceptually having come directly after a trilogy of mythology episodes.[3] Story editor Frank Spotnitz claims that there were originally ideas on incorporating some of the events from that trilogy into this episode, but those ideas were eventually scrapped due to the producer's desire for each episode to be able to have its own integrity and stand alone.[4] Spotnitz said the episode was a risky one to do for a show with an adult audience due to the high school setting and the fact that the episode was about adolescence and violent impulses when one is a kid.[4]
The sheriff, Teller, was named after Teller from the illusion and comedy duo Penn and Teller. The pair had wanted to appear on an episode of the show, but when Chris Carter could find no way to work them into the show this reference was added instead.[3] The Astadourian Lightning Observatory was named after Mary Astadourian, Chris Carter's executive assistant.[3] Darin Oswald was named after writer Darin Morgan.[3]
Giovanni Ribisi won the part as Darin after some coaching from casting director Rick Millikan after Ribisi's initial audition failed to provide what Chris Carter was looking for.[5] Spotnitz described Ribisi's performance as "really, really good".[4] Director Kim Manners' best friend was killed during the third day of shooting. There was consideration on replacing him with another director for the episode but at his insistence he completed the episode.[3]
A "lightning machine" used for the sequence where Darrin is struck by lightning was created by special effects supervisor David Gauthier and buried under the ground. Giovanni Ribisi stood on a stand with the device rigged underneath him. Mirrors were used to establish the effect of the lightning flaring up and outward, and were augmented by sparks and smoke.[3] A special anti-fire product was applied to the costumes of the actors hit by lightning.[6] Art Director Graeme Murray states that the biggest construction event in the episode was the scene where Darrin manipulated the traffic lights. The producers had to plant telephone poles and build a billboard for the scene.[4] Murray tried to make the psychiatric ward in the episode's closure not resemble the one from season 2's "Soft Light", to avert repetition despite the similar ending.[6] The farmhouse used for Darin's home, situated in Albion, British Columbia,[7] was owned by a 94-year-old man and also used for the movies Jumanji and Jennifer Eight.[3] The producers had difficulty obtaining permission to use a dead cow in the episode due to concerns over animal rights groups. When the fake cow created failed to look realistic enough, the producers were able to use a dead cow obtained from a slaughterhouse for the episode.[4]
Reception[edit]
"D.P.O." was first broadcast in the US on October 6, 1995, on Fox.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.9, with a 20 share, meaning that roughly 10.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 20 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[9] The episode was watched by 15.57 million viewers.[9]
Entertainment Weekly gave "D.P.O." a B+, considering that despite the lack of action, it managed to "keep you glued" for the photography and "truly hilarious sociopathic high jinks".[10] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the same grade, praising Ribisi and Black's performances and "sequences that confidently walk the tricky line between horror and broad comedy", and marking it as the point where "the show's direction, always good, made the leap from consistently interesting to look at to consistently cinematic."[11] Jane Goldman, in The X-Files Book of the Unexplained felt like the combination of Howard Gordon's "acutely observed dialogue" and Ribisi's "compelling performance" made Darin Oswald "one of season three's most memorable characters".[12] Writing for Den of Geek, Nina Sordi put "D.P.O." only behind "Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose" as the best standalone season 3 episode, praising Ribisi's "all quiet, creepy power that eventually explodes into homicidal rage" and Jack Black's "weary and ultimately doomed sidekick".[13]
Footnotes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Lowry, pp. 87–89
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, pp. 187–189
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Lowry, pp. 88–91
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Edwards, pp. 143–144
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 74
6.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry (1995), p. 57
7.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 87–88
8.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Media notes). Fox. 1995–1996.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 251
10.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 3 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
11.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (4 July 2010). ""The Blessing Way"/"Paper Clip"/"DPO"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
12.Jump up ^ Goldman, p. 127
13.Jump up ^ Harrisson, Juliette (6 September 2011). "A look back over The X-Files' finest stand-alone episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
References[edit]
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Goldman, Jane (1997). The X-Files Book of the Unexplained. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81962-7.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Hurwitz, Matt, Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105353-8.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"D.P.O." on The X-Files official website
"D.P.O." at the Internet Movie Database
"D.P.O." at TV.com

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The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
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Season 3
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 ­"The List"·
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1995 television episodes


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Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
The X-Files episode
ClydeBruckmanX-Files.jpg
A tabloid that introduces the Stupendous Yappi. The character would reappear in other episodes written by Darin Morgan, most notably "Jose Chung's From Outer Space".
 
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 4
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Darin Morgan
Production code
3X04
Original air date
October 13, 1995
Guest actors

Peter Boyle as Clyde Bruckman
Stuart Charno as Puppet
Jaap Broeker as The Stupendous Yappi
Frank Cassini as Detective Cline
Dwight McFee as Detective Havez
Alex Diakun as Tarot Reader
Karin Konoval as Madame Zelma
Ken Roberts as Clerk
David Mackay as Young Husband
Greg Anderson as Photographer[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "D.P.O." Next →
 "The List"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is the fourth episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on October 13, 1995, on Fox. It was written by Darin Morgan, directed by David Nutter, and featured a guest appearance by Peter Boyle, who portrayed the titular Clyde Bruckman. The episode is a stand alone episode, like most episodes of The X-Files, and follows the normal Monster-of-the-Week pattern of the show. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.2, being watched by 15.38 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode was also a critical success, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders of psychics and fortune tellers. The two are assisted by Clyde Bruckman, an enigmatic and reluctant individual who possesses the ability to foresee how people are going to die.
Morgan wished to write an episode of The X-Files wherein one of the characters commits suicide at the end. Although Morgan was initially afraid to add humor to his script, he created a compromise by making the episode as dark as possible. Several of the characters' names are references to silent film-era actors and screenwriters. Notably, the episode features a prediction by Bruckman—that Agent Scully will not die—that is later bookended by the sixth season episode "Tithonus."

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Conception and writing
2.2 Casting
2.3 Filming and post-production
3 Reception
4 Footnotes 4.1 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In a store, Clyde Bruckman purchases a paper and a lottery ticket and leaves. In the street, he almost bumps into an inconspicuous man, who heads to a fortune teller. The fortune teller is a palmist who dresses and speaks like a gypsy. After seeking his fortune, the inconspicuous man attacks and kills her.
A few days later, a different fortune teller has been found with her eyes and entrails removed. Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully arrive at the scene of that murder to help the local cops, who have recruited the help of a psychic, the eccentric "Stupendous Yappi." Although the psychic delivers extremely vague clues, such as that the killer may or may not have facial hair, the cops are thoroughly impressed. However, both Scully and Mulder are skeptical, especially after Yappi diagnoses that Mulder, not Scully, is the skeptic in the room who is "interfering with his psychic energy".
Meanwhile, after Bruckman takes the trash out for his neighbor, he discovers the body of the fortune teller outside in his dumpster. When interviewed by Mulder and Scully, he reveals details about the crime that he could not have known from the media accounts, which causes Mulder to believe that Bruckman has the psychic ability to predict death. Mulder insists that Bruckman join them in a visit to the other crime scene. Thanks to information from Bruckman, another body is soon found in a nearby lake.
While investigating another suspect, Bruckman guides Mulder and Scully through the woods, where they discover the suspect's corpse, as Bruckman predicted. The agents find traces of silk fibers on the previous victims, which is later analyzed and found to be from lace. Bruckman explains how he gained his ability following the death of the Big Bopper in a plane crash. Bruckman foresees Mulder's death, getting his throat slit by the killer after stepping in a pie in a kitchen. However he tells Mulder he's not able to see what happens. While Scully does not believe in Bruckman's power, the two develop a fast friendship. Bruckman asks Scully why she is not interested in knowing how she will die. Scully finally breaks down and lets him tell her, to which Bruckman, joyfully, but cryptically, replies, "You don't." Bruckman later tells Scully that they will end up in bed together, in a very special moment neither of them will forget. This reinforces her skepticism.
Bruckman gets a note from the killer saying he is going to die. In response, the agents bring Bruckman to a hotel where a detective named Havez guards him. As the agents leave, they bump into a bellhop who is delivering food to Bruckman's room. It turns out that the bellhop is actually the murderer. He kills Havez and prepares to do the same to Bruckman. Meanwhile, Scully finds the same silk fiber on herself where she bumped into the bellhop's doily-covered tray, realizing that the bellhop is the murderer. They rush back to the hotel. Mulder chases the killer to the basement and the scene plays out as described in Bruckman's earlier premonition, but when the killer attacks him, Mulder is able to fend off the attack until Scully arrives and shoots him—what Bruckman had seen was the dying killer's last thoughts, not Mulder's death.
Unable to find Bruckman in the hotel, Mulder and Scully return to Bruckman's apartment to find that Bruckman has committed suicide by tying a plastic bag around his head. Scully sits on Bruckman's bed holding his hand, deeply moved, just as he had predicted. That night Scully sees a commercial for the Stupendous Yappi on TV, causing her to throw her phone at it.[1]
Production[edit]
Conception and writing[edit]

A man is speaking into a microphone.

 The episode was written by Darin Morgan, making it his second writing credit for the series.
This episode was the second of four episodes written for the series by Darin Morgan. Morgan was in a dark mood at the time, and decided to craft a plot around a character who committed suicide at the end of the episode. The joke in the episode about Fox Mulder's predicted death being by autoerotic asphyxiation was inspired by previous jokes in the series about Mulder's interest in pornography. It was also inspired by a book Morgan had read on homicide investigations.[2] Morgan also claims to have watched the episode "Beyond the Sea", which features a questionable psychic, several times and wanting to write an episode in that vein.[3] Morgan feared putting too much comedy in the episode, like his previous effort "Humbug", and purposely tried to make it as serious and dark as possible, only to end up adding a lot of jokes by the time the final draft was completed.[4] The name 'Clyde Bruckman' refers to an actual screenwriter and director of silent comedies named Clyde Bruckman who committed suicide.[5] The names of characters Detective Havez and Detective Cline are also references to a writer and director from that era (Jean Havez and Eddie Cline, respectively).[5] One of the victims, Claude Dukenfield, is a reference to the real name of W.C. Fields.[5] The name of the hotel in this episode, "Le Damfino" is a reference to a boat used by Buster Keaton in the movie The Boat.[5]
Bruckman's cryptic prediction that Scully would not die was the inception of a lesser-known story arc that was originally supposed to reveal that Scully was immortal.[6] The sub-plot, popular with fans on the internet, was verified by Frank Spotnitz.[7] However, Spotnitz later admitted that this sub-plot was bookended by the sixth season episode "Tithonus," which showed Scully starting to die, only to have her come back, fulfilling Bruckman's prophecy. Spotnitz later called this ending "very satisfying."[8]
Casting[edit]
The role of the title character Clyde Bruckman was originally written with Bob Newhart in mind, but was eventually cast with Peter Boyle.[4] Chris Carter preferred to not cast well-known actors, but felt that Boyle was such a gifted character actor that he ignored that preference for this episode.[9] The character of the Stupendous Yappi was specifically written for Jaap Broeker, David Duchovny's stand-in.[9] The character later appeared again in the episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space". Stu Charno, who played the part of the killer in this episode, is the husband of Sara Charno, a former writer on the show.[9]
Filming and post-production[edit]
Visual effects producer Mat Beck and Toby Lindala created the elaborate dream sequence where Bruckman's body decomposes.[9] The two used a skeleton rib cage made of copper wire along with fake skin that melted into gelatin when the wires were heated.[9] Eight different stages were used for the effect, starting with Boyle in makeup, progressing to the dummy, and eventually a computer generated skeleton which were morphed together.[9] The episode's original cut was 10 minutes too long, resulting in multiple scenes with Bruckman and Scully being removed from the episode.[2]
Reception[edit]

A man standing in a tuxedo, facing the camera with a slight smile

 Boyle's portrayal of Clyde Bruckman won him an Emmy (2002, Alan Light)
"Clyde Bruckmann's Final Repose" earned a Nielsen rating of 10.2, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. The episode was watched by 15.38 million viewers.[10] It was named the tenth greatest episode in television history by TV Guide.[11] The success of the episode led to it earning two Primetime Emmy Awards—writer Darin Morgan won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, while Peter Boyle won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[12]
David Duchovny considers this episode one of his favorites of the third season.[13] David Nutter called it one of the most enjoyable shows he had done.[14] He also said of the episode "The writing was so tight and so crisp and so fresh that I think, as a director, the only thing you have to do is create the atmosphere, set up the characters, set up the shots and you are basically invisible. Then you step back and just let it happen." Frank Spotnitz stated that the episode worked on every level and is his favorite of those episodes written for the show by Morgan.[15]
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" received praise from critics as well. Author Phil Farrand rated the episode as his third favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files.[16] Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a rare A+, writing "Boyle gets lots of help from another superlative, laugh-a-minute script [...] Nicely captures one of the overarching themes of the show: fate and man's isolation."[17] Reviewer Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A and wrote positively of the ending, saying "For an episode that ends with a likable character killing himself, 'Bruckman' isn't what I'd call a downer."[18] Review website IGN named it the best standalone X-Files episode of the entire series, writing that the episode " is a distinctive episode of the series, mixing a healthy amount of humor [...] with some very nasty business [...] In just 44 minutes, Boyle creates a fully formed character who makes a big impact in his one and only appearance."[19] Topless Robot named it the ninth funniest episode of the series.[20] Starpulse listed it as the third best X-Files episode.[21] Charlie Jane Anders and Javier Grillo-Marxuach of io9 included it on the list of "10 TV Episodes that Changed Television".[22]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 93–95
2.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 96
3.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 74
4.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, p. 145
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Lowry, p. 94
6.Jump up ^ Daniel, Josh. "The Immortal Agent Scully". Slate. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
7.Jump up ^ "Is Scully Immortal". Biglight. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
8.Jump up ^ Meisler, p. 118
9.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Lowry, pp. 96–97
10.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 251
11.Jump up ^ "The 100 Greatest TV episodes of all time!". TV Guide. March 13, 2003. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
12.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 253
13.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 95
14.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 97
15.Jump up ^ Edwards, pp. 145–146
16.Jump up ^ Farrand, p. 223
17.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 3 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
18.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (July 11, 2010). ""Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"/"The List"/"2Shy"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
19.Jump up ^ Collura, Scott, et al (May 12, 2008). "IGN's 10 Favorite X-Files Standalone Episodes". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2011
20.Jump up ^ Bricken, Rob (October 13, 2009). "The 10 Funniest X-Files Episodes". Topless Robot. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
21.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew (July 25, 2008). "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
22.Jump up ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (May 29, 2012). "10 TV Episodes that Changed Television". io9. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
References[edit]
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Farrand, Phil (1998). The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Doubleday Direct. ISBN 1-56865-503-7.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 5. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107595-7.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" on The X-Files official website
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" at the Internet Movie Database
"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" at TV.com

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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (1990–1999)

 
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This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

Categories: The X-Files (season 3) episodes
1995 television episodes



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The List (The X-Files)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

This is a good article. Click here for more information.

"The List"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 5
Directed by
Chris Carter
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
3X05
Original air date
October 20, 1995
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Bokeem Woodbine as Sammon Roque
Badja Djola as Napoleon "Neech" Manley
John Toles-Bey as John Speranza
Ken Foree as Vincent Parmelly
April Grace as Danielle Manley
J. T. Walsh as Warden Brodeur
Greg Rogers as Daniel Charez
Mitchell Kosterman as Fornier
Paul Raskin as Jim Ullrich
Denny Arnold as Key Guard
Craig Brunanski as Guard
Joseph Patrick Finn as Chaplain[1]
Bruce Pinard as Executioner (uncredited)[2]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" Next →
 "2Shy"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"The List" is the fifth episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files television series. It was first broadcast in the United States on the Fox network on October 20, 1995. "The List" was written and directed by series creator Chris Carter. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' larger mythology. "The List" received a Nielson household rating of 10.8, being watched by 16.72 million people on its initial broadcast, and received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a case where a death row inmate declares that he will be reincarnated and that as a result five men will die.
"The List" was written and directed by Carter after the success of the second season entry "Duane Barry". The art department of The X-Files were tasked with creating a death row set quickly, a feat which eventually caused the episode to go over budget. Several sequences necessitated the use of real maggots, a turn of events that was not popular with the cast, most notably with Anderson. "The List" later was nominated—and won—several International Monitor Awards.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 Footnotes
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Napoleon "Neech" Manley (Badja Djola), a death row inmate at a Florida prison, is brought to the electric chair. Before he is executed, Neech proclaims that he will be reincarnated and avenge himself against five men who tormented him in prison.
Shortly after the execution, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are brought in to investigate when a prison guard is mysteriously found dead in Neech's cell. The agents meet the prison's warden, Brodeur (J. T. Walsh), who believes that Neech planned the guard's murder with someone on the outside before the execution. John Speranza, another inmate, believes that Neech has returned. When Scully explores the prison's showers, she meets another guard named Vincent Parmelly. He claims that another prisoner, Roque, is keeping a list of the remaining four victims.
Later, the head of another guard, Fornier, is found inside a paint can. An examination of the head shows the premature appearance of larvae. The prison coroner tells Scully that the first guard's lungs were completely infested with the larvae, belonging to the green bottle fly. Meanwhile, Mulder talks to Roque, who wants a transfer out of the prison in exchange for revealing the remaining three people on the list. Brodeur later finds Fornier's headless body in his office. While searching Neech's cell, Mulder discovers evidence of his obsession with reincarnation. Scully, of course, is skeptical. They later talk to Neech's fearful widow, Danielle Manley, who is secretly seeing Parmelly. Roque is brought to the showers, where he is beaten to death by Brodeur after revealing he is the fifth person on the list.
Brodeur puts the prison under lockdown and tells Mulder that Neech had a violent history with all three victims. Mulder believes that Neech came back for revenge against the guards, but doubts that Roque was on the list. He requests that he be provided with the name of Neech's executioner, who turns out to be a volunteer named Perry Simon. The agents arrive at Simon's home to discover his decomposing body in the attic. Mulder confronts Speranza about the list, but Speranza only tells him that Roque was not on it. He claims to have seen Neech "big as life" outside of his cell. Based on phone records, Scully theorizes that Neech's lawyer, Danny Charez, may have engineered the murders with Speranza. The agents interview Charez, who tells them about Danielle's relationship with Parmelly; after they leave, Charez is suffocated by a resurrected Neech.
Brodeur visits Speranza in his cell, and offers to have his death sentence commuted in exchange for stopping the murders. Speranza takes the offer. That night, Parmelly visits Danielle, who has become agitated since Mulder and Scully have begun staking out her house. The agents now suspect Parmelly to be behind the murders and leave to notify Brodeur, who asks that Parmelly be arrested. Soon afterward, Danielle wakes up to see Neech by her bed. She grabs her gun and confronts Parmelly, thinking he is Neech's resurrected form. The agents and a police task force arrive to see her shoot and kill Parmelly. Meanwhile, Brodeur—assuming that Charez and Parmelly were on the list—thinks Speranza has reneged on their deal and has him taken to the showers. Before Brodeur kills him, Speranza claims that one person remains on the list.
Parmelly is blamed for the murders. The agents start to leave Florida, but Mulder soon pulls over. He remains frustrated, since Parmelly was on-duty during only one murder, and was not one of the three men who knew Perry Simon's confidential identity. He also points out inconsistencies in the actions of Parmelly and Roque, who was also assumed to be part of the plot. Mulder believes that Parmelly was not responsible for the deaths, and that Neech had indeed been reincarnated to enact his revenge. However, Scully convinces Mulder that the case is over, and that they should return home. Just then, Brodeur passes them in his car. Looking in his rear view mirror, he sees Neech, who attacks Brodeur and causes his car to crash into a tree, claiming his last victim.[1][3]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode was written and directed by Chris Carter.
The episode was written and directed by series creator Chris Carter, his second directorial endeavor after the second season entry "Duane Barry".[4][5] The art department of The X-Files were tasked with creating a "convincing" death row set "out of thin air".[4] The set took 10 days to build, making it one of the most complicated jobs for the show's staff during the season. Due to the construction of the prison set, the episode ended up going over budget. However, the set was used again later in the season in "Teso Dos Bichos" and "Talitha Cumi". The set was also rented out to other productions in Vancouver, Canada.[6]
Real maggots were used during many of the scenes, which were described by Gillian Anderson as being the hardest animals to work with on the show. The show's special effects producers were unable to create a full body replica of the first victim in time, requiring him to lay on an autopsy table with makeup applied while the maggots were poured on to him. Rice was used in place of the maggots during some of the scenes. The car crash at the end of the entry was described by stunt coordinator Tony Morelli as the most harrowing action sequence during the show's third season.[6] To give the episode a different look the producers applied a green palatte to the film in post-production.[7]
The executioner, Perry Simon, was named after an NBC executive producer that writer and director Chris Carter knew.[8] The part was played by an uncredited Bruce Pinard.[2] Joseph Patrick Finn, one of the show's producers, played the prison chaplain.[3]
Reception[edit]
"The List" premiered on the Fox network in the United States on October 20, 1995.[9] The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.8, with a 19 share, meaning that roughly 10.8 percent of all television-equipped households, and 19 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[10] It was watched by a total of 16.72 million viewers,[10] and was later nominated for several International Monitor Awards, including nominations for best director, best editing, and best color correction. "The List" later won the award for best director.[11] Story editor Frank Spotnitz said of the episode, "I think this is a vastly underrated episode. I also think it was a very brave and different show to do and that it will weather the test of time very well. I think it was brave because there is not a single likable character - nobody you can root for. Mulder and Scully do not solve the case, and that is something I had been interested in doing for some time."[12] Chris Carter was nominated for an award by the Directors Guild of America for his work on this episode.[13]
"The List" received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Entertainment Weekly gave "The List" a B+, describing it as "standard but well executed".[14] Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, had mixed feelings about it, ultimately rating it a B-. He felt that "The List" embodied a bland stand-alone X-Files episode for its underveloped concept and script, with "attempts at drama" that had no depth, and "sideplots [that] have so little effect on the main narrative as to be basically padding". Handlen however praised the cinematography and art direction, the performances of both Ken Foree and J.T. Walsh, and the final scene, but ultimately considered that "once you get past the set-design and cinematography, you end up with some good lines and a few scary moments, and that's it."[15]
Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode two stars out of four. She praised Carter's directing, but felt that the story suffered in comparison to the second season's "Duane Barry", also written and directed by Carter, which was better at "unsettling ambiguity". She felt that there were too many characters for the audience to get to know them, and the lack of resolution would leave the audience "utterly frustrated".[16] Other reviews were more critical. Author Phil Farrand wrote negatively of the episode, calling it his third least favorite episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files.[17] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode one-and-a-half stars out of five. The two positively critiqued Carter's directing, calling the entry "good looking" and noting that it was "a decidedly grisly hour of television."[18] However, they derided the plot and called it "barely cooked", writing that the characters that are killed are wholly one-dimensional and are not fleshed out.[18]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 99–101
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Bruce Pinard". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Lovece, pp. 193–194
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 76
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 57
6.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 101–103
7.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 145
8.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 142
9.Jump up ^ R.W. Goodwin, Rob Bowman, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Liner notes). Fox.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, p. 251
11.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 254–255
12.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 147
13.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 103
14.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 3 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. 29 November 1996. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
15.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (July 11, 2010). ""Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" / "The List" / "2Shy" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV | The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
16.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1996). "The X-Files Season Three Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 28 (3): 16–62.
17.Jump up ^ Farrand, Phil (1997). The Nitpickers Guide to the X-Files. Dell Publishing. p. 222.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 61
ReferencesEdwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 080651745X.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053538.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"The List" on The X-Files official website
"The List" at the Internet Movie Database
"The List" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 3
­"The Blessing Way"·
 ­"Paper Clip"·
 ­"D.P.O."·
 ­"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"·
 ­"The List"·
 ­"2Shy"·
 ­"The Walk"·
 ­"Oubliette"·
 ­"Nisei"·
 ­"731"·
 ­"Revelations"·
 ­"War of the Coprophages"·
 ­"Syzygy"·
 ­"Grotesque"·
 ­"Piper Maru"·
 ­"Apocrypha"·
 ­"Pusher"·
 ­"Teso Dos Bichos"·
 ­"Hell Money"·
 ­"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"·
 ­"Avatar"·
 ­"Quagmire"·
 ­"Wetwired"·
 ­"Talitha Cumi"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 3) episodes
1996 television episodes


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2Shy

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"2Shy"
The X-Files episode
XFiles-2Shy-VirgilEncanto.jpg
Virgil Incanto following his imprisoning. Incanto was compared by critics to the antagonists from "Squeeze" and "Irresistible".
 
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 6
Directed by
David Nutter
Written by
Jeff Vlaming
Production code
3X06
Original air date
November 3, 1995
Guest actors

Timothy Carhart as Virgil Incanto
Catherine Paolone as Ellen Kaminsky
James Handy as Detective Alan Cross
Kerry Sandomirsky as Joanne
Aloka McLean as Jesse Landis
Suzy Joachim as Jennifer
Glynis Davies as Monica Landis
Randi Lynne as Lauren
William MacDonald as Agent Kazanjian[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "The List" Next →
 "The Walk"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"2Shy" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 3, 1995. It was written by Jeff Vlaming, directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by Timothy Carhart and James Handy. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a spate of "lonely hearts" murders targeting overweight women. The two eventually discover a mutant killer who is extracting the body fat from his victims after seducing them over online chat rooms.
The episode was the first one of the series to be written by Vlaming. "2Shy" also marked Steve Kiziak's first appearance as Duchovny's body double. The episode was viewed by almost 15 million people in its initial broadcast, and drew mixed reviews from critics. Although director Nutter based the gory scenes in "2Shy" on the earlier episode "The Host", the episode has drawn comparisons to "Squeeze" and "Irresistible".

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Footnotes 4.1 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Cleveland, Ohio, a couple sit talking in a car at night, having met over the internet. The man, the charming and handsome Virgil Incanto (Timothy Carhart), suffocates his overweight date, Lauren, with a gelatinous substance he spits up. The next morning, a policeman finds Lauren's body, covered in the substance.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called in to investigate, as the victim's description seems similar to those of other victims of a lonely hearts killer still at large. Scully attempts to perform an autopsy on Lauren's body, only to find that it has liquified with only a skeleton remaining. Scully later discerns that the substance coating the body was a concentrated digestive enzyme, and that the remains are lacking in body fat.
Incanto prowls an online chatroom, arranging to meet with a similarly overweight woman named Ellen Kaminsky (Catherine Paolone). Incanto is interrupted by his landlord Monica Landis, who believes he is a writer and who is romantically interested in him. He ignores her and resumes chatting. Elsewhere, Mulder learns that Lauren met a man in a chatroom, and researches Incanto's online accounts. They find that he had started one account using a credit card taken from a previous victim.
Kaminsky stands up Incanto while he waits at a restaurant. He leaves, murdering an overweight prostitute who injures him in a struggle. Incanto is forced to flee before he can fully dissolve the body. At the autopsy, Scully finds that the body's airways are choked with the same substance that dissolved Lauren. Scully also finds the skin under the victim's nails contains no oils or fatty acids, convincing Mulder that the killer is sucking body fat from his victims.
Mulder finds passages of obscure medieval poetry in Incanto's e-mails, and compiles a list of people who would have access to the texts from which these were taken. The agents, along with local detective Alan Cross (James Handy), agree to canvass everyone on the list. Meanwhile, Incanto, a translator of medieval Italian literature, receives a package while talking to Monica and her blind daughter, Jessie. He receives an e-mail from Kaminsky, asking to arrange another date; he is also questioned by Cross.
Returning home with Kaminsky, Incanto invites her inside, but curtly leaves when he sees Monica in his apartment. Incanto kills Monica after she discovers Cross' body in his bathtub. When Jessie asks about her mother's whereabouts, she smells her mother's perfume in Incanto's apartment and calls the police. When they arrive, Incanto is gone, but his computer gives a list of women he has been in contact with. Only two are unreachable, one being Kaminsky.
After Incanto comes to Kaminsky's apartment, she recognizes his facial composite distributed by the FBI. Scully arrives at Kaminsky's apartment and is attacked by Incanto; however, as they struggle, Kaminsky retrieves Scully's gun and fires on her attacker. Later, during questioning, a visibly weakened Incanto admits to the killings. He claims to have given his victims what they had wanted, stating "the dead are no longer lonely".[1]
Production[edit]
"2Shy" was written by Jeff Vlaming, who had previously worked for the series Weird Science. Vlaming's only other writing credit for the series was the later third season episode "Hell Money".[2] He had initially pitched the idea of a mutant who fed on body oils, which was eventually changed to body fats. The presentation of the character Virgil Incanto also went through several permutations, initially conceived as a creepy Phantom of the Opera-like recluse, and as a butcher who would be able to cut the fat from his victims, before the final "fairly normal-looking" version was decided upon.[3]
Director David Nutter made sure that the episode contained several visceral moments, after the popularity of the "Flukeman" character in the earlier episode "The Host".[3] Frank Spotnitz, the series' story editor, was initially wary of the concept as he felt it might be seen as offensive, but changed his mind when series creator Chris Carter convinced him the episode told "a good story", and was a "fun, old-fashioned sort of X-File".[4]
The episode was primarily filmed in Vancouver's Quebec Street, with two nearby apartment buildings used for interior shots. "2Shy" marked the début of Steve Kiziak as Duchovny's new body double. While filming a scene in which Mulder bursts through a door, Kiziak and the other body doubles mistakenly burst through the wrong apartment's door, interrupting the tenant's dinner party.[5] Kerry Sandomirsky, who portrays Ellen Kaminsky's friend Joanne, had previously appeared in the first season episode "Roland",[6] while Incanto's landlord was played by Glynis Davies, who had appeared in season one's "Tooms" and the second season episode "Irresistible".[7]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"2Shy" premiered on the Fox network on November 3, 1995, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on February 27, 1997.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1 with a 17 share, meaning that roughly 10.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 17 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode.[9] The episode was viewed by over 14.83 million viewers.[10]
Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, had mixed feelings about the episode, ultimately rating it a B-. He felt that the character of Virgil Incanto was "wonderfully gross", although he "lacks the universal creepiness" of first season villain Eugene Tooms, from the episode "Squeeze". Handlen also felt that the episode was let down by the fact that it "takes it as a given that single women are targets", failing to give any real depth to its female characters.[11] An overview of the third season in Entertainment Weekly also rated the episode a B-, and called Incanto a "fine example" of the series' "unassuming" villains, comparing him to Tooms and to the second season villain Donnie Pfaster.[12] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three stars out of five, calling it "a retread of Squeeze" and "a little too formulaic to be truly satisfying". However, Shearman and Pearson felt that the episode "has a heart to it" and "jogs along at a fair pace", also praising its gory visuals.[13]
TV Guide listed Incanto among the scariest X-Files monsters,[14] whilst UGO Networks listed the character as one of their best "Monster-of-the-Week" in the series, saying Scully's "pure revulsion at Incanto's instinctual need makes for one of The X-Files' finest final scenes".[15]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, pp. 149–151
2.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 239
3.^ Jump up to: a b Edwards, p. 149
4.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 150
5.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 88–89
6.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 243
7.Jump up ^ Lovece, p. 240
8.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Third Season (Media notes). Fox. 1995–1996.
9.Jump up ^ Edwards, p.151
10.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 251
11.Jump up ^ Handlen, Zack (July 11, 2010). ""Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" / "The List" / "2Shy" | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV | The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
12.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
13.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 61–62
14.Jump up ^ "The Scariest X-Files Monsters". TV Guide. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
15.Jump up ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (April 15, 2011). "The Best TV Serial Killers". UGO Networks. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
References[edit]
Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 0-9759446-9-X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"2Shy" on The X-Files official website
"2Shy" at the Internet Movie Database
"2Shy" at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files episodes

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 3
­"The Blessing Way"·
 ­"Paper Clip"·
 ­"D.P.O."·
 ­"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"·
 ­"The List"·
 ­"2Shy"·
 ­"The Walk"·
 ­"Oubliette"·
 ­"Nisei"·
 ­"731"·
 ­"Revelations"·
 ­"War of the Coprophages"·
 ­"Syzygy"·
 ­"Grotesque"·
 ­"Piper Maru"·
 ­"Apocrypha"·
 ­"Pusher"·
 ­"Teso Dos Bichos"·
 ­"Hell Money"·
 ­"Jose Chung's From Outer Space"·
 ­"Avatar"·
 ­"Quagmire"·
 ­"Wetwired"·
 ­"Talitha Cumi"
 

 

Categories: 1995 television episodes
The X-Files (season 3) episodes


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The Walk (The X-Files)

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Jump to: navigation, search

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"The Walk"
The X-Files episode
A man without any arms is lying unconscious in a bed. A hand is injecting a needle into his body.
The episode's antagonist: Rappo. The episode was inspired by the film The Men, which features a character who has lost his legs in war and wishes to be able to walk again.
 
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 7
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
John Shiban
Production code
3X07
Original air date
November 10, 1995
Guest actors

Thomas Kopache as General Thomas Callahan
Willie Garson as Quinton "Roach" Freely
Don Thompson as Lt. Col. Victor Stans
Nancy Sorel as Capt. Janet Draper
Ian Tracey as Leonard "Rappo" Trimble
Paula Shaw as Ward Nurse
Deryl Hayes as Army Doctor
Rob Lee as Amputee
Andrea Barclay as Mrs. Callahan
Beatrice Zeilinger as Burly Nurse[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "2Shy" Next →
 "Oubliette"

List of season 3 episodes
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Walk" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by John Shiban and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode aired in the United States on November 10, 1995 on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Walk" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.4, being watched by 15.91 million people in its initial broadcast. Critical reception was mixed.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, a failed suicide attempt by a patient in a U.S. Army hospital interests Mulder with the talk of a "phantom soldier" who has prevented the man's death. The U.S. Army General in charge of the hospital is initially opposed to the FBI's involvement until the invisible killer begins stalking him. Everyone involved in the case is shocked to learn that the primary suspect could in fact, be a quadruple amputee.
"The Walk" is the first X-Files script by John Shiban, who commented that it was a challenge for him. He was inspired by the film The Men, which features a character who has lost his legs in war and wishes to be able to walk again. The episode required several visual effects which were almost not completed in time.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Reception
4 Footnotes
5 External links
Plot[edit]
At a VA hospital in Fort Evanston, Maryland, Lieutenant Colonel Victor Stans makes his third suicide attempt; he claims that a mysterious figure will not let him die. Stans attempts to drown in a tub of scalding water, but is rescued by the hospital staff.
When Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) question Stans, they learn that his wife and children died in a house fire he claims was started by the mysterious soldier he says will not allow him to die himself. Captain Janet Draper stops the questioning, as Mulder and Scully were not granted permission to see Stans by his superior officer, General Thomas Callahan. After meeting with the agents, Callahan glimpses the phantom soldier Stans described. He also finds his answering machine replaying an unintelligible message. Later, while using the base's swimming pool, Draper is killed by an invisible force.
Callahan tells the agents about the soldier and the voicemail, which was received twice before at his home. When they visit his house, his young son, Trevor, believes he saw someone go inside; Scully herself glimpses someone in the backyard. Fingerprints are found on the property which belong to the hospital mailman, Quinton "Roach" Freely. As Mulder and Scully take Roach into custody, Trevor is attacked and killed by the invisible force in his sandbox. Under the agent's questioning, Roach admits to his role in the deaths and states he is "Rappo's mailman".
"Rappo" turns out to be Leonard Trimble (Ian Tracey), a quadraplegic Gulf War veteran. Scully doesn't believe Roach, even though he insists that Rappo will kill him next. Scully later finds Roach dead in his cell with a bedsheet shoved down his throat. Scully assumes that he committed suicide, but Mulder shows her X-ray dental plates he had carried in the rehab room, the pool, Callahan's office, and Callahan's house; all show signs of radiation. Mulder thinks that Rappo is leaving his body through astral projection, doing so with a psychic connection forged through Roach's letters. He also plays the voicemail backwards; it is actually a warning from the phantom soldier.
Under questioning, an embittered Rappo states his belief that the Gulf War took his life away. Meanwhile, Callahan finds his wife's dead body. He goes to the hospital to talk to Stans, who reveals that Rappo — whom he doesn't know — is responsible for the deaths. When Callahan confronts Rappo, he openly admits his crimes. Rappo tries to goad Callahan to killing him, but Callahan decides to "stand down," shooting over Rappo's head. The agents arrive and find Rappo in a trance; Mulder realizes what is happening and tries to find Callahan. Rappo's apparition attacks Callahan with steam from the pipes in the hospital's basement. Stans enters Rappo's room, locks the door, and smothers Rappo with a pillow. With Rappo dead, his apparition disappears before it attacks Mulder. Callahan remains unharmed.
Since there is no physical evidence to prove that Rappo killed Callahan's wife and son, the case remains unsolved. Mulder's narration states that Rappo's family tries to have him buried at Arlington National Cemetery; he is instead buried in a civilian cemetery in Pennsylvania.[1]
Production[edit]
"The Walk" is the first X-Files script by John Shiban. He found it challenging to write, particularly Mulder and Scully's first scene where "they have to come together on a case, yet they have to be at odds".[2] Shiban was inspired by the film The Men and realizing that the main character, who had been injured in war and lost his legs, wanted to walk more than anything. He stated that the paranormal concept of astral projection "just sort of fit".[3] Some members of the writing staff were concerned about killing Callahan's young son, Trevor, but Shiban was not bothered by it and felt that Rappo wanted to take everything from Callahan, and the worst blow would be to kill his son.[3][4]
Director Rob Bowman felt that Ian Tracey, who played Rappo, was "an incredibly strong actor" and fit the role.[5] Deryl Hayes, who played an army psychiatrist in this episode, previously appeared as a CIA operative in the first season episode "Shadows".[6] Draper's drowning was achieved by pulling actress Nancy Sorel down with a cable that was attached to the bottom of the pool.[3] The image of the wave launching over Draper in the pool was accomplished by the teamwork of special effects department members Mat Beck and David Gauthier.[3] One of the crew members was also buried in sand in the scene where Trevor is killed.[3] The effect in the climax when Rappo's apparition throws Callahan and Mulder across the room was accomplished with a device called the "Air-Ram" that uses compressed air.[3] The visual effects were almost not completed in time.[3]
Reception[edit]
"The Walk" was first broadcast on the Fox network on November 10, 1995. It earned a Nielsen rating of 10.4, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was watched by a total of 15.91 million viewers.[7]
In a retrospective of the third season by Entertainment Weekly,"The Walk" was given a grade of C, noting its similarities to other episodes and being critical of the characters.[8] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave it a grade of B, describing it as "straightforward", with a "well-realized" military hospital and "terrific" directing. However, he felt that Ian Tracey was not a good enough actor to make Rappo's motives seem believable.[9] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode two and a half stars out of four, calling it a "solid episode" with a good supporting cast and effects. However, she felt the characterization of Mulder and Scully was "off-balance" and noted that some of the military detail was wrong.[10] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode three and a half stars out of five, noting its similarities to other episodes such as the previous "2Shy", but felt that Shiban "has put real blood and passion into it which raises it high above the trappings of its clichés". They criticized the plot for being too predictable and formulaic, but said it succeeded in emotion and was "well-written" and "well-directed".[11]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, pp. 111–113
2.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 76
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Lowry, p. 114
4.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 115
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Kowles, p. 80
6.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 112
7.Jump up ^ Lowry, p. 251
8.Jump up ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season III". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
9.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (July 18, 2010). "The Walk/Oubliette/Nisei". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1996). "The X-Files Season Three Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 28 (3): 16–62.
11.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 62–63
ReferencesHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 0-9759446-9-X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 3
"The Walk" on The X-Files official website
"The Walk" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Walk" at TV.com

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The X-Files episodes

 
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Categories: The X-Files (season 3) episodes
1995 television episodes


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Oubliette (The X-Files)

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"Oubliette"
The X-Files episode
A man and a woman stand talking in a darkly lit hallway.
Lucy and Mulder discuss the kidnapping. Elements of Mulder's identification with Lucy were heavily based on the abduction of his sister, Samantha.
 
Episode no.
Season 3
 Episode 8
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Charles Grant Craig
Production code
3X08[1]
Original air date
November 17, 1995
Running time
45 minutes[2]
Guest actors

Tracey Ellis as Lucy Householder
Michael Chieffo as Carl Wade
Jewel Staite as Amy Jacobs
Ken Ryan as Agent Walter Eubanks
Dean Wray as Tow Truck Driver
David Lewis as Young Agent[3]
 
Episode chronology

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 "Nisei"