20 "Fight Club" Paul Shapiro Chris Carter May 7, 2000 7ABX20 11.70[29]
Mulder and Scully cross paths with a pair of doppelgangers whose close proximity yields unlimited mayhem. Splitting up in two, the agent tries to find out "why" and "what" they are doing.
160
21 "Je Souhaite" Vince Gilligan Vince Gilligan May 14, 2000 7ABX21 12.79[29]
Mulder and Scully's encounter with a man and his handicapped brother leads them to an indifferent genie whose willingness to grant wishes belies a deeper motive.
161
22 "Requiem"double-dagger Kim Manners Chris Carter May 21, 2000 7ABX22 15.26[29]
Mulder and Scully return to the site of their first investigation together when a series of abductions take place. However, Scully's failing health, and Mulder's concern that she is in danger, cause him to take her off the case. Meanwhile, the Cigarette-Smoking Man—on his deathbed—reunites with Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden) and Krycek in an attempt to revive the project.
DVD release[edit]
The X-Files – The Complete Seventh Season
Set details[27] Special features[27]
22 episodes
7-disc set
1.78:1 aspect ratio
Subtitles: English, Spanish
English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
"The Truth About Season Seven" Documentary
Audio Commentaries (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) "First Person Shooter" – Chris Carter
"all things" – Gillian Anderson
"Je Souhaite" – Vince Gilligan
13 special effects clips
10 deleted scenes
Character profiles
22 promotional television spots
DVD-ROM game
Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
May 13, 2003 September 22, 2003 October 20, 2003
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Requiem" was viewed by 15.26 million viewers whereas "The Sixth Extinction" was viewed by 17.82 million viewers.[29] Subtracting the two figures and then dividing them by 17.82 million, which represents the largest possible audience, yields a percent decrease of 14 percent.
2.Jump up ^ "Requem" was viewed by 15.26 million viewers whereas "Biogenesis" was viewed by 15.86.[29][30] Subtracting the two figures and then dividing them by 15.86 million, which represents the largest possible audience, yields a percent decrease of 4 percent.
3.Jump up ^ Cast information taken from Marc Shapiro's 2001 book All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6, published by Harper Prism.
4.Jump up ^ The episodes were included in the DVD collection The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, released by Fox.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director). "The Sixth Extinction". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 1. Fox.
2.Jump up ^ Shapiro, pp. 7–16
3.Jump up ^ Michael Watkins (Director). "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 2. Fox.
4.Jump up ^ Shapiro, pp. 19–28
5.Jump up ^ Michael W. Watkins. "Zein und Zeit". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 10. FOX.
6.Jump up ^ Shapiro, pp. 119–128
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director). "Closure". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 11. Fox.
8.Jump up ^ Shapiro, pp. 130–139
9.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director). "Requiem". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 22. Fox.
10.Jump up ^ Shapiro, pp. 266–277
11.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 1998). "X-Files: A Mixed Bag of Episodes and a Feature Film Pave the Way for Season Six". Cinefantastique 30 (7/8): 27.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, pp. 155–156
13.Jump up ^ p.155–156
14.^ Jump up to: a b Spotnitz, Frank (1998). "The Next Files". The X-Files Magazine.
15.Jump up ^ Elber, Lynn (May 18, 2000). "Fox Mulder 'Ready to Get Back to Work'". Space.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 24, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
16.Jump up ^ Persons, Dan (October 2000). "The Man Behind the Mytharc". Cinefantastique.
17.Jump up ^ Carter, Chris, et al (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
18.Jump up ^ Johnson, Allan (November 25, 1999). "Kiss and Tell". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
19.Jump up ^ Thomas J. Wright (Director) (November 28, 1999). "Millennium". The X-Files. Season 7. Episode 4. Fox.
20.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 139
21.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 277
22.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 214
23.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 190
24.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 191
25.^ Jump up to: a b c d Kessenich, p. 80
26.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 278
27.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
28.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, pp. 236–240
29.^ 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 Shapiro (2000), p. 281
30.^ Jump up to: a b c Meisler, p. 294
31.Jump up ^ "Top TV Shows For 1999-2000 Season". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
32.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 146
33.Jump up ^ "The List". BtoB Magazine (Crain Communications). April 30, 2001. Retrieved November 26, 2012. (subscription required)
34.^ Jump up to: a b c Mink, Eric (February 12, 2000). "'X Files' Boldy Goes Thru 7th Season". New York Daily News (Mortimer Zuckerman). Retrieved December 7, 2011.
35.^ Jump up to: a b c d Doherty, Thomas (October 2000). "When a Show Works Best as Self-Parody, It's Time to Shut Off the Transporter Beam". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 16–17.
36.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 83
37.Jump up ^ Adams, Sam; Dyess-Nugent, Phil; Handlen, Zack; Harris, Will; Heller, Jason; Hyden, Steven; Keller, Joel; McGee, Ryan; Modell, Josh; Phipps, Keith; Rabin, Nathan; Semley, John; Teti, John; VanDerWerff, Todd; Zulkey, Claire (May 7, 2012). "One bad apple...we can live with that: 31 rotten parts of otherwise fantastic wholes". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
38.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew. "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
39.Jump up ^ The Gazette (July 24, 2008). "Top drawer Files: the best stand-alone X-Files episodes". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
40.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 131
41.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, p. 221
42.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
43.Jump up ^ Kendzior, Sarah (May 2000). "Brand X". 11th Hour Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
44.^ Jump up to: a b c Shapiro, p. 280
45.Jump up ^ "Primetime Emmy® Award Database". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination. New York, US: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Season 6. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061075957.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
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 Sixth Extinction
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"The Sixth Extinction"
The X-Files episode
SixthExtinctionXFiles.jpg
Dana Scully examines the rubbings from the alien spaceship. The episode continued to introduce new aspects to the series' mythology, elements executive producer Frank Spotnitz described as "completely different."
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 1
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
7ABX03
Original air date
November 7, 1999
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Mimi Rogers as Diana Fowley
John Finn as Michael Kritschgau
Michael Ensign as Dr. Barnes
Jonelle Kennedy as Dr. Amina Ngebe
Anthony Okunbowa as Dr. Barnes' Driver
Warren Sweeney as Dr. Geoff Harriman
Abdoulaye N'Gom as Driver
Conrad Roberts as Primitive African Man
Mari Weiss as ICU Nurse[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Biogenesis" Next →
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Sixth Extinction" is the first episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 7, 1999 in the United States. The episode was written by Chris Carter, and directed by Kim Manners. "The Sixth Extinction" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.6, being watched by 17.82 million people 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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Michael Kritschgau (John Finn) work desperately to attempt to discover what is wrong with Mulder, who is imprisoned by his own frenetic brain activity, but they are unaware of Agent Diana Fowley’s (Mimi Rogers) duplicity. In the meanwhile, Scully is hunting for an ancient artifact in Africa.
"The Sixth Extinction" helped to explore new aspects of the series' overarching mythology and was the second episode in a trilogy of episodes featuring Mulder's severe reaction to the appearance of an alien artifact. The episode was written due to series creator Chris Carter's fascination with the possibility that extraterrestrials were involved in the great extinctions that had happened millions of years ago.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References 4.1 Footnotes
4.2 Bibliography
5 External links
Plot[edit]
On the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, Scully sits in her tent studying detailed photographs of the spacecraft half-buried on the beach nearby. A figure, the Primitive African Man, mysteriously appears before suddenly vanishing, after which Scully's tent is swarmed by flying insects. Back in the United States, Walter Skinner visits a delusional Fox Mulder, who is being kept in a padded cell at a Georgetown hospital. Mulder seemingly attacks Skinner, but actually covertly passes him a torn shred of his hospital gown reading, "HELP ME".
Scully is visited by Dr. Amina Ngebe, Solomon Merkmellen's former colleague who warns Scully to not tell any of the locals about the swarm or the Primitive African Man, although word is already out on the "African internet". Soon afterwards, one of the locals working on excavating the ship is apparently scalded by boiling seawater. With the arrival of Dr. Barnes another "plague" occurs - that night the ocean turns blood red.
Skinner revisits a heavily drugged Mulder, who cannot talk but writes "Kritschgau". Skinner goes to visit Kritschgau, now unemployed and living in a low-cost apartment, and convinces him to visit the hospital with him. Once there, Kritschgau believes Mulder has alien induced mind reading abilities and injects him with a drug (phenytoin) to slow down his brain activity. Later Diana Fowley and his doctor arrive, and with his mind-reading abilities, Mulder is able to tell Skinner that he knows about him being indebted to Krycek, and Diana Fowley's connections with the Cigarette Smoking Man.
Scully, with Dr. Barnes' help, is able to translate some of the spaceship, which contains information on genetics and various religions. Dr. Barnes' behavior becomes increasingly erratic however and, armed with a machete, he refuses to let Scully or Ngebe leave. He soon realizes that the craft is bringing dead fish back to life, and Scully and Ngebe take the opportunity to knock him out and escape. Scully sees the vanishing man again in the car as they drive off.
Kritschgau and Skinner put Mulder under additional tests to verify his abnormal brain activity. They again inject Mulder with phenytoin, but this time they are caught by Fowley and Mulder goes into a seizure. Meanwhile Dr. Barnes, in a bizarre type of experiment, kills his driver, but the driver soon reanimates and kills him instead. Scully flies back to the U.S. and visits Mulder at the hospital. On the African coast, Ngebe arrives with the police, finding Dr. Barnes dead and the spaceship gone.[1]
Production[edit]
Part of the plot for "The Sixth Extinction" was based on the ancient astronaut theory.
Frank Spotnitz said of the episode's origins, "We've destroyed all the stuff about Mulder's father, the project, and the Syndicate. All the things that had sustained us for six years were suddenly gone. We had no crutches. From that point on, every time we sat down to write a mythology show, we knew it was going to be a completely different challenge." Chris Carter saw the episode as a transitional episode, stating "I felt that, with "The Sixth Extinction", I was just playing a supporting role and that the episode, essentially the middle episode of a three-episode arc, was just a transitional episode to get us to 'Amor Fati', which was really less about the mythology and more about Mulder's choices in life."[2]
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson both had other commitments as the season began, resulting in the producers delaying filming for this episode. It ended up being filmed third in the season, after the episodes "Hungry" and "The Goldberg Variation". Carter wrote the episode at the same time as Duchovny was working on the next episode, "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati". Kim Manners said preparations were confusing since it wasn't known at the time how the storyline would unfold. Spotnitz said of the end result, "For me, it was a lot like a fifties monster movie with Scully out on the beach with this guy going nuts with a machete, the bug attacks, and the sea of blood. Yeah, it was supposed to be serious business but, overall, I thought it was shaping up as a pretty entertaining hour."[2]
The producers had to move the filming of the beach sequences from the previous episodes due to changes in the tides at that time of year. Similar to the previous episode, the spaceship was computer-generated.[2] The sequence where the locals are boiled by the ocean water was accomplished using underwater filming of stuntmen under various degrees of make up.[2] Fifty thousand dead crickets were rented from a local entomologist for the scene where Scully's tent was attacked by bugs. The live insects were portrayed by blowing popcorn and packing foam at Anderson with fans and editing it into insects in post production.[2]
A large portion of the episode was based on the ancient astronaut theory, which proposes that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans.[3] Frank Spotnitz later remarked that he was astounded at how little negative fan mail the show received, despite the fact that the "Biogenesis"/"The Sixth Extinction"/"Amor Fati" story arc heavily hinted that aliens were the originators of the notion of God and religion.[4] He credited the manner in which the show handled this delicate subject, saying, "Often in the past, we've done stuff where I was sure we would get angry letters. But we rarely do. And the reason is because of the way we handle things. In 'Amor Fati' we treated the religious side with respect."[4] The ancient astronaut themes were later revisited in the two season nine episodes "Provenance" and "Providence."[5]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Sixth Extinction" first aired in the United States on November 7, 1999.[6] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.6, with a 16 share, meaning that roughly 10.6 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[7] It was viewed by 17.82 million viewers and was the most watched episode of the seventh season in the United States.[7] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 7, 2000 and received 1.00 million viewers and was the third most watched episode that week.[8] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Something is driving Mulder insane. Something he's been searching for. Something he shouldn't have found."[9] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth.[10]
Critical reception was mixed to positive. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files gave the episode a positive review, noting that the episode takes the themes of "Biogenesis" and "runs with them".[11] Den of Geek writer Nina Sordi ranked "The Sixth Extinction," along with "Biogenesis" and "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati," as the fifth best episode of the series, writing, "it is evident that as [The X-Files] progressed, the episodes surrounding those storylines and the breaking points Mulder and Scully endured push them further and further towards total, irreversible defeat. This is especially poignant when viewing this anxiety inducing trio of episodes."[12] Monica S. Kuebler from Exclaim magazine called "The Sixth Extinction", along with "Biogenesis" and "Amor Fait", one of the "best" episodes during the show's "colonization" phase.[13] Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote positively of the episode, hoping that it foreshadowed answers to come, writing, "As the middle installment of a three-part story and what was then thought to be the final season premiere of The X-Files, 'The Sixth Extinction' is suffused with a somber pre-apocalyptic mood, but one vivified by the possibility that soon we'll have answers to the most important outstanding mysteries of the series."[14]
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.[15] The two called the episode "the most arresting season opener in years" and noted that it "promises that maybe there's life in the old mythology yet."[15] Shearman and Pearson, however, did critique the lack of finality to the episode, but attributed most of this to the fact that the episode was the second of a three-part mythology tale.[15] Not all reviews were so positive. Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[16] She noted that "Mulder's situation is handled just poorly" and argued that Mulder's illness was created solely to provide a cross-season cliffhanger.[16] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "C" and called it a "weird bridge".[17] Largely, he criticized the episode for featuring "no real twists or complications here" in lieu of "things just […] getting worse along a linear path".[17]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 7–16
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shapiro, pp. 16–17
3.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 169
4.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 28–29
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 202
6.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
8.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e March 13–19, 1999", listed under Sky 1
9.Jump up ^ The Sixth Extinction (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 1999.
10.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). FOX.
11.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 84
12.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (22 September 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
13.Jump up ^ Kuebler, Monica (October 2005). "The X-Files Colonization". Exclaim! (Ian Danzig). Retrieved 21 June 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (26 May 2000). "The X-Files – 'The Sixth Extinction'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 206
16.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
17.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (1 December 2012). "'The Sixth Extinction'/'The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"The Sixth Extinction" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Sixth Extinction" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
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The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"The Sixth Extinction II:
Amor Fati"
The X-Files episode
The image is of a supposed armaggedon-esque cityscape. Most of the building are on fire, and there are several UFOs flying across the sky.
Fox Mulder's hallucination of the alien colonization. The scene was accomplished by using special effects and a matte painting background.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 2
Directed by
Michael Watkins
Written by
David Duchovny
Chris Carter
Production code
7ABX04[1]
Original air date
November 14, 1999
Running time
44 minutes[2]
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Mimi Rogers as Diana Fowley
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
John Finn as Michael Kritschgau
Floyd Red Crow Westerman as Albert Hosteen
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat
Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder
Arlene Pileggi as Skinner's Secretary
Warren Sweeney as Dr. Geoff Harriman
Brian George as Project Doctor
David Brisbin as Second Doctor[3]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Sixth Extinction" Next →
"Hungry"
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" is the second episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was directed by Michael Watkins and written by lead actor David Duchovny and series creator Chris Carter. The installment explores the series' overarching mythology and concludes a trilogy of episodes revolving around Fox Mulder's (Duchovny) severe reaction to an alien artifact. Originally aired by the Fox network on November 14, 1999, "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" received a Nielsen rating of 10.1 and was seen by 16.15 million viewers. Initial reviews were mixed and the plot and dialogue attracted criticism. Later critics viewed the episode in a more positive light and several writers named it among the best in the series.
The X-Files centers on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Mulder and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, and the skeptical Scully was initially assigned to debunk his work, but the two have developed a deep friendship. In this episode, Scully returns from Africa to discover Mulder in a coma induced by exposure to shards from an alien spaceship wreck. After Mulder disappears from the hospital, Scully joins former government employee Michael Kritschgau (John Finn) and her boss Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) to search for him. Meanwhile, in a dream, The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) offers Mulder a new life and a fresh start. After conferring with a vision of Scully, Mulder awakens from his coma and realizes his duty to prevent alien colonization.
Carter was interested in the possibility that extraterrestrials were involved in ancient mass extinctions on Earth and used these themes in the episode. Much of the episode was also inspired by Nikos Kazantzakis's novel The Last Temptation of Christ, and a scene showing an operation on Mulder has been thematically compared to the Crucifixion of Jesus. For the dream sequences, casting director Rick Millikan brought back many actors and actresses who had been absent from the show for several years, including Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat, Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder, and Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder.
Contents
[hide] 1 Synopsis 1.1 Background
1.2 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting and filming
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 Notes
6 References 6.1 Footnotes
6.2 Bibliography
7 External links
Synopsis[edit]
Background[edit]
Main article: Mythology of The X-Files
In the sixth season finale "Biogenesis", FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate a rock inscribed with Navajo writing found in Côte d'Ivoire. While examining it in Washington, D.C., Mulder hears ringing sounds and suffers several headaches. He turns to Agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers), his former love interest, for help before his mental health rapidly deteriorates and he is transferred to a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, Scully heads to New Mexico to ask a dying Albert Hosteen (Floyd Red Crow Westerman) to translate what is on the rock: he discovers that the item includes passages from the Bible, and a map of the human genome.[4]
In the seventh season premiere "The Sixth Extinction", Scully journeys to Côte d'Ivoire and discovers an alien spaceship wreck. After Scully examines the shards, she begins to believe that they hold the key to all of life's mysteries. Meanwhile, Mulder slips into a coma and Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) enlists the help of former Department of Defense agent Michael Kritschgau (John Finn) to determine what is wrong with Mulder. The two discover that while Mulder's condition has made him unresponsive, it has given him telepathic powers. Scully, working in Africa, witnesses several strange events relating to the wreck before returning to Washington.[5]
Plot[edit]
Teena Mulder (Rebecca Toolan) and The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) visit Mulder, who is paralyzed in a hospital. After administering a drug that cures his paralysis, The Smoking Man reveals himself to be Mulder's father and takes him from the hospital. Meanwhile Scully visits Kritschgau and claims that Mulder's contact with the shard of an alien spaceship has reawakened the extraterrestrial black oil with which he was infected three years previously; because he is infected with the virus, Mulder is proof of alien life. Skinner, who has been looking for Mulder, tells Scully that Mulder's mother signed him out of the hospital. The Smoking Man takes Mulder to an unfamiliar neighborhood; inside a new home, he finds his former informant Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin). Deep Throat claims to have faked his own death to escape the burden he was under by being a part of the Syndicate, and he suggests Mulder can now do the same. Mulder meets Fowley, and the two become intimate.
On the hospital security tapes, Scully sees Mulder's mother talking to The Smoking Man but is unable to contact her. Scully receives a package containing a book on Native American beliefs, which describes how one man will prevent the impending apocalypse. Again visiting Kritschgau, she notices he has a stolen copy of her information on the alien spaceship. After he admits hacking her computer, she deletes the files from his laptop.
Mulder is reunited with his sister Samantha (Megan Leitch) in his new life. He marries Fowley and they have children. The years pass quickly; he grows older and Fowley dies. Mulder is revealed to be dreaming everything: in reality he is in a government facility being tended to by doctors while The Smoking Man and Fowley watch. The Smoking Man is preparing to have portions of Mulder's cranial tissue—which have been infected and activated because of the alien virus—implanted into himself. During the operation, The Smoking Man admits that he believes that Mulder has become an alien-human hybrid, and that by taking Mulder's genetic material he alone will survive the coming alien onslaught.
Mulder becomes an old man in his dream, accompanied by an ageless Smoking Man who tells him that Fowley, Deep Throat, Samantha and Scully have all died. The Smoking Man looks out the window, revealing an alien holocaust. Back in reality, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) attacks Kritschgau, burns his papers, and steals his laptop. Scully, having earlier been visited by the spirit of Albert Hosteen who convinces her to pray, awakens in her apartment to discover that someone has slipped a security card under her door. Using it, she enters the facility where Mulder is being held. In Mulder's dream, Scully meets him at his bedside and convinces him to break with his imaginary life. In reality, Scully finds Mulder and the two escape the facility. A week later Scully meets Mulder at his apartment and tells him that Fowley was found murdered. Mulder confides that, during his ordeal, Scully served as his "touchstone".[3]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
A man with dark brown hair is smirking and looking near the camera.
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" was the second episode of the series written by David Duchovny.
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" was written by Duchovny and The X-Files' creator, Chris Carter. This was Duchovny's second on-screen writing credit, after the sixth season episode "The Unnatural".[6] He had previously helped to plot stories; he co-developed the second season finale "Anasazi" with Carter,[7] and received teleplay credits for season three's "Avatar"[8] and season four's "Talitha Cumi".[9] Duchovny worked on the script for "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" while Carter wrote the season premiere, "The Sixth Extinction". Carter added his remaining portions to Duchovny's script after finishing his work on the previous episode.[10] The tagline that appears in the opening credits for this episode is "Amor fati".[11][nb 1] This is a Latin phrase referring to the "love of fate",[12] which is an important phrase and concept in the work of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.[11][13] In the context of the episode, the subtitle has been interpreted by writer Charlton McIlwain in his book When Death Goes Pop: Death, Media & the Remaking of Community as a reference to the love of a predestined life, in this case, Mulder's dream.[14] In her book We Want to Believe, Amy Donaldson suggests the phrase means that Mulder must "love his suffering and passively accept it [and] actively embrace his journey ... and release his spirit to find new vigor."[15]
The term "Amor Fati" is an important concept in the work of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, related to his notion of the eternal return.
Mulder's dream and decisions in "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" heavily allude to the actions of Jesus in Nikos Kazantzakis's novel The Last Temptation of Christ. Duchovny, a fan of the book, found parallels between its central story and Mulder's ordeal and incorporated many of the novel's concepts into the episode.[16][17] In The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus is torn between his higher calling as the son of God and his desire towards his own humanity. Duchovny was drawn to the fact that Christ's struggle in the novel was "not only godlike, but also profoundly human"[18] and used this template for Mulder; in the series, Mulder is destined towards greater things—in this case, stopping the on-coming alien invasion—but he also desires to have a personal life. Duchovny noted that "Mulder is a guy who's been given the same problem [as Jesus]. What I'm doing is using the very human model of Christ".[18] Duchovny cautioned that he was not trying to make Mulder into a Christ-like savior figure but rather "an everyman".[18] Executive producer Frank Spotnitz described the concept as a risk, but Duchovny felt this exploration of Mulder's character was important to the series.[10]
Several of the lines in the episode proved difficult for both fans and cast members to embrace. Fans did not readily accept that The Smoking Man was Mulder's father. Davis, who portrayed The Smoking Man, noted that fans did not believe the revelation because "part of the mystique of it was that everybody had their own idea of what was going on."[19] The dialogue in the episode proved difficult for Anderson to present believably. She was troubled that her character was arguing against the existence of extraterrestrials, when in the previous episode her character had encountered an alien shipwreck. When she talked to Carter, she said that she did not "know if [she could] do this anymore" because her character was arguing against information that had been confirmed in the first two parts of the episode.[19] Carter explained that there must be conflict between Mulder and Scully for the show's "believer versus skeptic" dynamic to work properly.[19]
The portions of the episode about the alien shard and Mulder's telepathic abilities allude to the ancient astronaut theory, which proposes that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity or prehistory.[20] Spotnitz was surprised that the show received few complaints, even though the "Biogenesis"/"The Sixth Extinction"/"Amor Fati" story arc heavily suggested that aliens developed the notions of God and religion.[21] He praised the manner in which the show handled this subject, saying, "Often in the past, we've done stuff where I was sure we would get angry letters. But we rarely do. And the reason is because of the way we handle things. In 'Amor Fati' we treated the religious side [of the story] with respect."[21] Spotnitz later identified the combination of science and religion as "a conjunction of science and mysticism, of aliens and religion, that we're starting to develop. It's deliberate on our part, to help bring all the mythologies together into one story line."[17] The ancient astronaut themes were revisited in two season nine episodes, "Provenance" and "Providence".[22][23]
Casting and filming[edit]
The episode is the last to feature Mimi Rogers.
When picking actors and actresses for the episode, casting director Rick Millikan interpreted the script as a flashback. Consequently, he brought back actors and actresses who had not appeared on the show for two or three years, including Hardin as Deep Throat, Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder, and Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder.[21] Hardin had last appeared in the fourth season episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" during a flashback sequence, and Toolan's most recent role was in the second installment of the sixth season episode "Dreamland".[24][25] Likewise, Leitch—who portrayed Samantha as an adult—had acted in the second part of the fifth season opener "Redux".[26] Milikan and the producers encountered difficulties in casting the boy whom Mulder meets on the beach. Originally, they cast the son of series producer Paul Rabwin, but child labor laws dictated a limit on his daily working hours, so twin boys were cast to allow the scenes to be shot in a single day.[21]
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" is the series' last episode to feature Mimi Rogers as Agent Fowley. After reading a copy of the script, Rogers realized her character was going to die before she reached the ending. The script included a large part for Fowley, which Rogers described as "by far the most [she] had to do in an episode."[27] She later explained, "It occurred to me [while I was reading the script], uh oh, this is way too good. I have too much to do. They're going to kill me."[27]
Davis was pleased with the episode; he stated "For me the episode was terrific to play because they ended up making the Cigarette Smoking Man somewhat tougher. We have seen so much softness in him; it was great to play that tough side."[21] He described the scene in which he was strapped to an operating table with Mulder as "totally uncomfortable".[21] He joked that "the only upside of that was that the author [Duchovny] was lying right beside me, feeling equally uncomfortable. I wonder if David would have written it that way if he had known what he would have to go through."[21]
The majority of the episode—like the rest of seasons six, seven, eight and nine—was filmed in Los Angeles, California.[28] The housing community in Mulder's dream was filmed in an "affluent section" between Malibu and Pacific Palisades, California.[29] The scene in which The Smoking Man opens a window, revealing an alien armageddon, used a special set and a matte painting background.[21][30] Various special effects, such as explosions, were filmed separately. The pieces were digitally combined to create the final scene.[30] A scene in which Mulder watched himself age was filmed but cut for unknown reasons.[21]
Themes[edit]
Fox Mulder's operation scene (left) has been compared to the Crucifixion of Jesus (right).
The episode portrays Mulder as a Christ-like figure. As scientists experiment on him, he is placed on a cross-like table, which has been interpreted to be symbolic of the cross to which Jesus was nailed. Mulder wears a metal ring around his head, similar to the biblical crown of thorns.[31] Donaldson notes that The Smoking Man's advice to Mulder to save himself echoes the bystanders who told Jesus to save himself from the cross. She draws parallels between Mulder's status as the "savior" of the human race—because of his immunity from the alien infection—and Jesus, whom Christians venerate as humanity's savior.[32]
Donaldson, in her essay "The Last Temptation of Mulder", writes that in Kazantzakis' novel Jesus "represents what is the utmost human challenge, that of releasing the divinity within from its earthly confines."[33] In this way, the Jesus of The Last Temptation of Christ represents "utter humanity" and the "struggle between the spirit and the flesh".[34] Mulder is similarly challenged when he is enticed by The Smoking Man and overcomes temptation by giving up his dream life and embracing his destiny to stop the alien invasion.[34] Several characters in the episode resemble those in the novel. For instance, Fowley is similar to Kazantzakis' version of Mary Magdalene—both characters "thwart the mission" of the hero.[35] Scully parallels Kazantzakis' version of Judas Iscariot, as they both call the heroes out of their respective trances.[36]
According to McIlwain, the episode represents the series' ultimate "coalescence of science, religion, and metaphysics".[14] It is one of the few episodes in which Scully sets aside her empirical reasoning to save Mulder's life.[37] Scully, representing the more rational one "who must anchor herself in the certainty of scientific facts", discovers the aliens shards and deduces that they hold the key to "every question that has ever been asked".[38] Mulder, on the other hand, represents the one who "seeks the truth among a realm of possibilities too fantastic and beyond the realm of scientific validity" and possesses the needed tool—his immunity—to solve the puzzle.[38] The episode also explores the moral side of The Smoking Man and his affinity for evil. Kenneth Silber of Space.com notes that The Smoking Man's "enticing blandishments confirm he is a highly dangerous foe, one whose Machiavellian creativity borders on the Satanic."[39] Timothy Dunn and Joseph J. Foy note in "Moral Musings on a Cigarette Smoking Man" that The Smoking Man's evil deeds have little to do with his mission in the Syndicate, instead reflecting his desire for "completely gratuitous" evil.[40] The two cite his line "Aren't you expecting me to sprout vampire fangs?" as evidence that The Smoking Man is aware of his crimes but casually shrugs them off.[40]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" originally aired in the United States on the Fox network on November 14, 1999, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on March 26, 2000.[1] In the U.S., the episode was watched by 16.15 million viewers[41] and ranked as the 27th most-watched episode of any series on network TV for the week ending November 14.[42] It earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, with a 14 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 10.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were watching the episode.[41] In the U.K., "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" was seen by 840,000 viewers, making it the channel's third-most watched program for that week after episodes of The Simpsons and Friends.[43] On May 13, 2003, the episode was released on DVD as part of the complete seventh season.[44] Two years later the episode was included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involving the alien colonists.[45]
A man with white hair is looking and smiling at the camera.
Elements of Chris Carter's writing were criticized for being too "purple".
Initial reviews of the episode were mixed. After the episode aired, Silber was disappointed in its resolution, writing, "This episode adeptly combines surrealism and a sense of impending climax—only to sputter out in disappointment when nothing much gets resolved at the end."[39] He dismissed "Mulder's one-week recovery from his horrifying ordeal" as "facile and unconvincing".[39][nb 2] He did write that Mulder's dream provided "credible insight into the recesses of his troubled personality".[39] The X-Files researcher and independent reviewer Sarah Stegall awarded the episode a three out of five score after the episode aired. She argued that, in the episode, Mulder "is not a martyr but a victim" which makes him "pitiable, not heroic".[49] Tom Kessenich, in his 2002 book Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files, gave the episode a positive review, noting that the "Duchovny-penned final scene is exquisite in showcasing the beauty and power of Mulder and Scully's evolving relationship."[50] He deemed Mulder's dream sequences "inspired television" and felt the episode left itself open to interpretation.[51] In the October 2000 issue of Cinefantastique, writer Paula Vitaris gave the episode a mixed review, awarding it two stars out of four.[52] She criticized the recycling of the "one partner lies comatose while the other runs around trying to find a cure" storyline,[52] but she was more positive towards Mulder's reverie, calling it visually "beautiful".[52]
Later reviews of the episode tended to see the installment in a more positive light. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their 2009 book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five. They stated that the installment "kicks off the seventh season with great style", becoming a "rallying cry for the last leg of the race".[53] The two enjoyed its "real passion", which they felt mythology-heavy episodes usually lacked.[53] In 2012, Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club rated the episode a "B", but criticized the writing, calling it "very purple prose" and Carter's most "overwrought script since the glory days of 'The Blessing Way'."[54] He was also critical of the "absolutely atrocious" make-up used to transform Duchovny into an old man.[54] Notwithstanding his negativity towards the writing, plot, and make-up, VanDerWerff said that he truly "enjoy[ed] both halves of 'The Sixth Extinction' all the same" despite calling it "entertainingly bad [and] ludicrously over-the-top".[54] He complimented the scene in which The Smoking Man looked out onto the alien apocalypse, deeming it a "pretty impressive TV effects accomplishment".[54]
Since its original airing, critics have listed "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" among the best X-Files episodes. Kessenich named the entry thirteenth in his list of the top 25 The X-Files episodes.[50] Den of Geek writer Nina Sordi named the installment—as a trilogy with "Biogenesis" and "The Sixth Extinction"—the fifth best episode of the series, writing that, "it is evident that as [The X-Files] progressed, the episodes surrounding those storylines and the breaking points Mulder and Scully endured push them further and further towards total, irreversible defeat. This is especially poignant when viewing this anxiety inducing trio of episodes."[55] Matt Champlin of The Post-Standard named the episode the ninth best of the series.[56] Monica S. Kuebler of Exclaim called "The Sixth Extinction", along with "Biogenesis" and "Amor Fati", one of the best episodes of the show's "colonization" phase.[57] Michael Liedtke and George Avalos, writing for the Contra Costa Times, stated that the final scene with Mulder and Scully was one of the most "tender moments" in which they did not kiss.[58] Entertainment Weekly named the same scene one of 25 "Great TV 'I Love You's'" [sic], declaring that it "left [viewers] with goosebumps".[59]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ For the first eight seasons, the series' title sequence ends with a sequence of a gloomy sky and lightning striking a mountain. During this scene, the show's tagline "The Truth Is Out There" flashes onto the screen. However, for "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati", the line was changed to the titular "Amor Fati".[11]
2.Jump up ^ The ramifications of Mulder's illness and recovery from his brain injury would be explored in the eighth season opening arc "Within" and "Without", as well as the mid-season entry "The Gift", where it is revealed that Mulder's ordeal caused an inoperable brain disease.[46][47][48]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners, et al. (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. pp. 4, 16.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), pp. 19–28.
4.Jump up ^ Meisler (2000), pp. 279–290.
5.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), pp. 7–16.
6.Jump up ^ Vitaris, Paula (April 2002). "Creating Episodes that Re-Think The X-Files". Cinefantastique 34 (2): 54–55.
7.Jump up ^ Lowry (1995), pp. 225–227.
8.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), pp. 87–89.
9.Jump up ^ Lowry (1996), pp. 219–222.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), pp. 28–29.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Donaldson (2007), pp. 8–9.
12.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2011), p. 8.
13.Jump up ^ Nietzsche (2000), p. 714.
14.^ Jump up to: a b McIlwain (2005) p. 151.
15.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2007), p. 10.
16.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), p. 28.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Lee, Will (November 26, 1999). "'The X-Files': Burning Question". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
18.^ Jump up to: a b c Donaldson (2007), p. 4.
19.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 174.
20.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 169.
21.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Shapiro (2000), p. 29.
22.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 202.
23.Jump up ^ Spelling, Ian (February 16, 2000). "Elwes Keeps Mystique of 'X-Files'". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved September 16, 2012. (subscription required)
24.Jump up ^ Meisler (1998), pp. 75–82.
25.Jump up ^ Meisler (2000), pp. 54–64.
26.Jump up ^ Meisler (1999), pp. 37–46.
27.^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Chris, et al. (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
28.Jump up ^ Fraga (2010), passim.
29.Jump up ^ Fraga (2010), p. 109.
30.^ Jump up to: a b Paul Rabwin (2000). The Armageddon Shot (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
31.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2011), pp. 186, 209.
32.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2011), p. 186.
33.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2007), p. 3.
34.^ Jump up to: a b Donaldson (2007), p. 23.
35.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2007), pp. 17–18.
36.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2007), p. 19.
37.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2011), p. 5.
38.^ Jump up to: a b McIlwain (2005), p. 152.
39.^ Jump up to: a b c d Silber, Kenneth (June 2, 2000). "The X-Files 'The Sixth Extinction (Amor Fati)'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
40.^ Jump up to: a b Dunn and Foy (2007), pp. 149–150.
41.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), p. 281.
42.Jump up ^ The Associated Press (November 16, 1999). "Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings". Associated Press Archive. Retrieved September 16, 2012. (subscription required)
43.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved January 1, 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "Year: 2000, Month: March, Week: Mar 20–26, 2000", listed under Sky1.
44.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. (2006). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
45.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. (2005). The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
46.Jump up ^ "Within". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
47.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Doggett, Part Deux". Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
48.Jump up ^ "The Gift". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
49.Jump up ^ Stegall, Sarah (1999). "Extinction or Extermination?". The Munchkyn Zone. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
50.^ Jump up to: a b Kessenich (2002), p. 218.
51.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 88.
52.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
53.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009), pp. 207–208.
54.^ Jump up to: a b c d VanDerWerff, Todd (December 1, 2012). "'The Sixth Extinction'/'The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
55.Jump up ^ Sordi, Nina (September 22, 2009). "Top 10 X-Files episodes". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
56.Jump up ^ Champlin, Matt (May 19, 2002). "CNY's Ultimate X-Phile Returns with Top Picks". The Post-Standard (Advance Publications). Retrieved September 16, 2012. (subscription required)
57.Jump up ^ Kuebler, Monica (October 2005). "The X-Files Colonization". Exclaim! (Ian Danzig). Retrieved June 21, 2012.
58.Jump up ^ Liedtke, Michael; Avalos; George (May 26, 2001). "'X-Files' Finale a Tender One". Contra Costa Times (MediaNews Group). Retrieved September 16, 2012. (subscription required)
59.Jump up ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (February 20, 2012). "Mulder to Scully in 'The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati' on The X-Files". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
Donaldson, Amy (2007). "The Last Temptation of Mulder". In Yang, Sharon. The X-Files and Literature: Unweaving the Story, Unraveling the Lie to Find the Truth. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781847182395.
Donaldson, Amy (2011). We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in the X-Files. Cascade Books. ISBN 9781606083611.
Dunn, Timothy; Foy, Joseph (2007). "Moral Musings on a Cigarette Smoking Man". In Kowalski, Dean. The Philosophy of The X-Files. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813192277.
Fraga, Erica (2010). LAX-Files: Behind the Scenes with the Los Angeles Cast and Crew. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781451503418.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 9781933784724.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
Lowry, Brian (1996). Trust No One: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061053535.
Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061053306.
McIlwain, Charlton (2005). When Death Goes Pop: Death, Media & the Remaking of Community. Peter Lang. ISBN 9780820470641.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 5. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061075957.
Meisler, Andy (1998). I Want to Believe: The Official Guide to the X-Files, Vol. 3. Perennial Currents. ISBN 9780061053863.
Meisler, Andy (1999). Resist or Serve: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 4. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061073090.
Nietzsche, Friedrich (2000). Kaufmann, Walter, ed. Basic Writings of Nietzsche. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780679783398.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
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: The X-Files
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" at TV.com
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Hungry (The X-Files)
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"Hungry"
The X-Files episode
A mutant human with black eyes, sharp fangs, and no ears prepares to attack a woman.
Rob Roberts reveals his true nature to Dr. Rinehart, his therapist. Actor Chad Donella, chosen because of his "subtle, interesting qualit[es]," was called a "great little actor" by Kim Manners.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 3
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
7ABX01
Original air date
November 21, 1999
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Chasen Hampton as Donald Pankow
Chad Donella as Rob Roberts
Mark Pellegrino as Derwood Spinks
Bill Lee Brown as Mr. Rice
Kerry Zook as Lucy
Steve Kiziak as Private Investigator
Judith Hoag as Dr. Mindy Rinehart
Kevin Porter as Motivational Speaker
Lois Foraker as Sylvia Jassy[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" Next →
"Millennium"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Hungry" is the third episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1999. It was written by Vince Gilligan, directed by Kim Manners, and featured a guest appearance by Chad Donella. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. However, unlike previous Monster-of-the-Week stories, "Hungry" is told from the monster's perspective. "Hungry" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.6, being watched by 16.17 million people 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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, a fast-food employee with unusual cravings becomes the focus of an FBI investigation under the direction of Mulder and Scully. The victims appear with no brain and a suction hole in the forehead.
Gilligan wanted to try a "different" approach to The X-Files with "Hungry" by telling the main story through the eyes of the monster. Actor Chad Donella, who portrayed the monster, was chosen because he possessed a "subtle, interesting quality," according to casting director Rick Millikan. Manners was pleased with Donella's performance, calling him a "great little actor." Because both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were filming movies, Return to Me and The House of Mirth respectively, the production company decided to film "Hungry" before any of the other episodes, despite the fact that it would be aired third, after the conclusion of "The Sixth Extinction" arc.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and casting
2.2 Filming and location
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Costa Mesa, California, Donald Pankow approaches the drive-thru of a Lucky Boy fast food restaurant. Despite the restaurant being closed, Pankow angrily demands service. The sheepish fast food attendant tells the man to drive to the next window, where he is attacked and violently pulled out of his car. Pankow's body is later discovered with the brain removed from the skull. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are assigned to assist the local police in their investigation.
The only clue found at the scene is a Lucky Boy employee button. Mulder and Scully check all of the employees and discover that one of the clerks, Derwood Spinks, is missing his button. Scully suspects Spinks after it is discovered he has a criminal record. Mulder, however, believes that the victim's brain was removed by a proboscis, and suspects another employee, Rob Roberts, of committing the murder. Rob, who is actually a mutant human, subsists on brains in order to survive. When he is trailed by a private investigator (Steve Kiziak), Rob kills him and eats in order to placate his hunger.
Spinks visits Rob at his home, annoyed at being fired from Lucky Boy for lying about his criminal record. He confronts Rob with evidence of his role in Pankow's murder and attempts to blackmail him. However, Spinks does not realise what Rob is and falls victim to his hunger. Rob is then contacted by Dr. Mindy Rinehart, a counselor hired by Lucky Boy to consult the employees following Pankow's killing. In session with her, Rob admits that he is battling an "eating disorder." Rinehart sends him to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, not fully understanding Rob's true nature.
Rob attends the OA meeting after being visited by Mulder. At the meeting, he sees his kind landlady, Sylvia Jassey. Although he does not respond well to the meeting, Rob and Sylvia bond on the trip home. Unfortunately, his hunger is far too overpowering and he is compelled to feed upon her. To cover up her murder, Roberts smashes up his own apartment with Spinks' baseball bat. He tells Mulder and Scully that Spinks showed up and accused him of being the killer.
Rinehart shows up to find Rob packing his things, intent on leaving town. After a bitter argument, Rob reveals his true self to Rinehart. However, before Rob prepares to attack her, she shows deep sympathy for him, throwing Rob off-guard. At that moment, the agents arrive with guns drawn, having found Sylvia's body. Rinehart tells Rob to be the good person she knows he is capable of being. Instead, Rob charges at Mulder and is shot twice in the chest, committing suicide by cop. As Rob lies dying, Rinehart asks, "Why?" To which he replies, "I can't be something I'm not."[1]
Production[edit]
Vince Gilligan, writer of the episode, wanted to try a "different" approach to The X-Files.
Writing and casting[edit]
When Vince Gilligan wrote "Hungry," he wanted to try a "different" approach to The X-Files. Accordingly, he decided to write an episode that featured Mulder and Scully as the antagonists, as viewed through the eyes of the monster.[2] Series creator Chris Carter applauded this idea and called it a "really great monster show."[3] Gilligan's intention was for the monster to resonate with the audience. He wrote the part specifically so that the monster would be relatable.[2][4] He later said, "My intention […] was that at the end, when Mulder and Scully show up and kill the monster, to have the audience out there hoping that they would not show up."[4]
Chad Donella was cast as the lead monster because he possessed a "subtle, interesting quality," according to casting director Rick Millikan.[4] Director Kim Manners latter described Donella as a "great little actor."[2] Duchovny's stunt double, Steve Kiziak played the role of the private detective—also called Steve Kiziak—that Roberts kills and eats. Kiziak later said, "It was a lot of fun to be in front of the camera."[4] Kiziak had first appeared as Duchovny's body double in the third season episode "2Shy,"[5] and would later appear as a Mulder lookalike in "Fight Club."[6]
Filming and location[edit]
As both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were filming movies, Return to Me and The House of Mirth respectively, the production company decided to film "Hungry" before any of the other episodes, despite the fact that it would be aired third, after "The Sixth Extinction" arc. This allowed Duchovny and Anderson to film their scenes and complete their movies with relatively little hassle.[3] Several of the finished scenes show Mulder and Scully together, but many of these scenes were created with stand-ins and doubles because of the stars' busy schedules. Duchovny and Anderson were only available for two combined days of filming for this episode.[4]
When it came time to design the sets, the production team found the Lucky Boy Burger restaurant to be relatively easy to create.[3] Originally, the name of the restaurant was supposed to be Burgerlishious, but the restaurant location that was considered ideal had a "Lucky Boy" sign that could not be removed.[4] Later, the design department faced a challenge in creating Roberts' apartment, because the script didn't give a detailed account of what it was to look like.[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Hungry" first aired in the United States on November 21, 1999.[7] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.6, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 9.6 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] It was viewed by 16.17 million viewers.[8] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 2, 2000 and received 0.68 million viewers, making it the seventh most watched episode that week.[9] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Taste the terror tonight!"[10]
The episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. 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, calling the premise "Dexter a decade early."[11] The two concluded that "the sympathy that Donella gives Rob as he shows his true colours is very touching. [...] The final moments [of the episode] are a typically smart touch to this neglected gem of a story."[11] Paul Goebel of TV Squad listed Rob Roberts among his favorite X-Files monsters.[12] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that the episode features a "great setup, but the climax leaves the usual open-ended questions."[13] Zack Handlen on The A.V. Club called the episode "perfectly acceptable" and awarded it a "B+".[14] He was pleased with the episode's unique format, calling it a "good gimmick" that made an otherwise "forgettable at best" episode—had it been constructed in the typical fashion of The X-Files—into a memorable one.[14] He was also positive towards the episode's use of humor, noting that it "is very much on target".[14] Handlen, however, felt that the story showed the series' tiredness and did not possess much suspense to keep the watcher completely engaged.[14]
Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a more mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[15] She noted that the episode "suffers from a syndrome that has afflicted a great many X-Files episodes in recent seasons […] the syndrome consists of the audience finding out early on who the guilty party is."[15] Vitaris, however, did note that the episode's "saving grace" was Vince Gilligan's satiric writing tone; she called the scene featuring Roberts hallucinating that the burgers he was frying were actually brains "sick, but hilarious".[15] Other reviews were more negative. Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, noting that, although the change in perspective was unique and interesting, "this bit of originality does not rescue the episode from a familiarity bordering on the mundane. It's not the first time we have seen genetic mutants who have an affinity for human body parts."[16] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a relatively negative review. Despite noting that the episode wasn't "horrible" entry for The X-Files, Kessenich was unhappy with the characterization of Rob Roberts as well as the fact that the killer was revealed very quickly.[17]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 31-41
2.^ Jump up to: a b c Carter, Chris, et al (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 42
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 43
5.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 88–89
6.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 243
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
9.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e March 27-April 2, 1999", listed under Sky 1
10.Jump up ^ Hungry (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 1999.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 208
12.Jump up ^ Goebel, Paul (30 July 2008). "My favorite monsters from The X-Files". TV Squad. Weblogs, Inc. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
13.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c d Handlen, Zack (December 8, 2012). "'Hungry'/'Millennium' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
16.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (24 March 2000). "The X-Files - 'Hungry'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
17.Jump up ^ Kessenich, pp. 91-92
BibliographyGradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Hungry" at the Internet Movie Database
"Hungry" at TV.com
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The X-Files episodes
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Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
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"Hungry"·
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"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
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"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
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"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
1999 television episodes
Screenplays by Vince Gilligan
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Millennium (The X-Files)
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"Millennium"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 4
Directed by
Thomas J. Wright
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
7ABX05[1]
Original air date
November 28, 1999
Running time
44 minutes[2]
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Holmes Osborne as Mark Johnson
Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black
Colby French as Deputy
Monnae Walton as Coroner
Octavia Spencer as Nurse
Stephen Ramsey as First Agent
Romy Walthall as Second Agent
Eulan Middlebrooks as Young Cop
Michael Dempsey as Sheriff
William Forward as Funeral Director
Marilyn McIntyre as Widow
Dick Clark as himself[3]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hungry" Next →
"Rush"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Millennium" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 28, 1999. It was written by Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz and directed by Thomas J. Wright. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Millennium" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.1, and was watched by 15.09 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics; some felt that the episode's plot was creepy and engaging, while others felt that it was not a decent conclusion for the Millennium television series.
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, an associate of the Millennium Group—a secret society which believes the apocalypse will happen on the new year of 2000—resurrects the dead for use in the bringing about of the apocalypse. As a result, Mulder and Scully have to ask the help of criminal profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), a man who has former experience with the shadowy group, for assistance.
The episode serves as a crossover with the series Millennium, also developed by the creator of The X-Files Chris Carter, and was meant to bring closure to the recently-cancelled series. The writers had a difficult time coming up with a story that would successfully allow Frank Black and Mulder and Scully to cross paths. Lance Henrikson later expressed disappointment with the episode. The idea to use zombies had originally been slated to appear in an aborted project X-Files remake of George Romero's cult 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead. In addition, the episode is notable because it features the first romantic kiss between Mulder and Scully, described as "inevitable" by one critic. Thematically, the episode has been analyzed for its use of Biblical quotes from the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Background
1.2 Events
2 Production 2.1 Background
2.2 Writing and filming
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 References 5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Bibliography
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Background[edit]
Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), the protagonist of the series Millennium, is a freelance forensic profiler and former FBI agent, possess the unique ability to see the world through the eyes of serial killers and murderers.[4] For the first two seasons of the show, Black worked for the mysterious Millennium Group.[5][6] Black lived in Seattle with his wife Catherine (Megan Gallagher) and daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady).[7] During the first season, Black and the Group largely focused on various serial killers and other murderers; the true purpose of the Group was not known to him for the longest time.[5] However, during the second and third seasons, Black began coming into conflict with forces within the Millennium group that appeared to be demonic in nature. It appeared that the Group was focused on the fulfillment of apocalyptic biblical prophecy at the start of the new millennium.[6][8] During the third season, Frank eventually returned to Washington, D.C., to work with the FBI following the death of his wife at the hands of the Group. In the third season finale "Goodbye to All That", Black eventually escaped from Washington, and took Jordan from school.[8]
Events[edit]
In Tallahassee, Florida, on December 21, 1999, a memorial service is held for a former FBI agent named Raymond Crouch. His widow is approached by a mysterious man, Mark Johnson (Holmes Osborne), who claims to have worked with her husband. After the other mourners have left, Johnson returns to the funeral parlor, dons the corpse's clothes, and places a cell phone in the coffin. One week later, Johnson is monitoring Crouch's grave when his phone rings; he walks towards the grave with a shovel. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called in to examine Crouch's empty grave. They notice damage done to the interior of the casket; Scully theorizes that the scene was staged. A briefing is held by Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), who notes that Crouch is one of four former FBI agents whose graves have been exhumed; all four men had committed suicide. Because of the presence of goat's blood encircling the grave, Mulder states that the crime was an act of necromancy. After the briefing, Skinner takes the agents aside and asks them to investigate Crouch's possible ties to the Millennium Group.
Mulder and Scully go to a mental institution in Woodbridge, Virginia, to visit Frank Black. Black is initially reluctant to help the agents, as he believes that any further involvement with the Millennium Group may hinder his custody battle for his daughter, Jordan. When Black agrees to help, he explains that the members of the Millennium Group believe they can bring about the end of the world by killing themselves before the dawn of the millennium. Acting on information from Black, Mulder concentrates on trying to find Johnson, when Scully is attacked in the morgue by the dead deputy. The two agents put all their effort in to finding Johnson before it is too late. The agents search for Mr. Johnson, uncovering information about a bizarre string of reanimated corpses rising from the dead and searching for victims. Mulder later goes to Mr. Johnson's house and is trapped by Johnson in his basement with a group of corpses who rise up and attack him. Mulder is saved when Frank shows up, shooting a number of zombies in the head. As the gun runs out of bullets and death seems imminent for Mulder and Frank, Scully arrives, saving both their lives.
The epilogue shows Frank in the hospital with Scully and Mulder. Scully informs Frank that he has a visitor and brings in his daughter Jordan. Meanwhile, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is on a television in the background as the countdown begins. Frank leaves, and Mulder and Scully are left alone. As the clock strikes zero, and the crowd begins to sing 'Auld Lang Syne' on screen, Mulder and Scully kiss to ring in the new year.[3]
Production[edit]
Background[edit]
an older man with black glasses smiles at the camera.
The idea to use zombies had originally been slated to appear in an aborted project X-Files remake of George Romero's (pictured) cult 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead.
"Millennium" serves as a crossover with the series Millennium, also created by Chris Carter. Although Millennium, which debuted in 1996 on Fox, had enjoyed critical acclaim, it suffered from low ratings and was cancelled after its third season.[9] Unfortunately, the final episode of Millennium had been filmed before the cancellation notice, resulting in the series concluding on a cliff-hanger.[9][10] The episode features the last appearances of Frank Black and Jordan Black, and for this reason, is often cited as a way to bring closure to the Millennium series and its story arc.[3][10][11] Incidentally, this episode is actually the second crossover between The X-Files and Millennium; the previous crossover involved a minor character—author Jose Chung—from "Jose Chung's From Outer Space".[12] Chung appeared and was killed in the Millennium episode "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense".[12][13]
The idea to use zombies for "Millennium" arose from a separate aborted project. Reportedly, Stephen King, who had penned season five’s "Chinga", wished to write an episode based on George Romero's cult 1968 zombie film Night of the Living Dead.[14][15] In addition, Romero was slated to direct the episode. According to "Millennium" co-writer and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the staff of The X-Files met with both King and Romero and the two showed an interest in producing the episode. Initially, the episode was slated for the seventh season, but it never came to fruition.[15][16] Zombies as a plot device were then later relegated to what would become "Millennium".[3][15] However, Mulder's line, "Shoot them in the head, it seems to stop them", mirrors a very similar line lifted from Night of the Living Dead: "Shoot them in the head, that's a sure way to kill them."[15][17][18]
Writing and filming[edit]
Talk of doing a crossover with Millennium had been going on even when both shows were still on the air. After Millennium was cancelled, however, The X-Files staff realized that a crossover made sense. Despite this, writing the story proved difficult. The writers of the episode did not know whether to write an episode that dealt solely with wrapping-up Millennium or if they should feature elements of Millennium intermixed within an X-Files investigation. The writers eventually went with the latter. Vince Gilligan, the writer of the episode, explained that from the planning stages of the episode, the staff's intentions were not to focus solely on a wrap-up for Millennium, but rather to answer the question of "what would happen if Frank Black came into Mulder and Scully's world?"[9] Gilligan also maintains that the episode was not solely written to bring closure to the Millennium arc, but also as a way to finally write an episode of The X-Files about zombies.[9][19] He explained: "It wasn't about the plot as much as getting [Mulder and Black] down in the basement of this creepy old house with these zombies climbing up out of the ground, and having to [shoot them] in the head."[19] According to Gilligan, another part of the inspiration for the episode was the fear surrounding the perceived Year 2000 problem. This was an issue for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits. However, many people believed that it would signal a disaster or potentially the end of the world. Gilligan later joked that he was "proud to say I never bought into any of that Y2K BS for a minute!"[19]
We realized that the story needed to be an X-File and that any Millennium ending we came up with had to come second. We needed to do what we always do, which is to follow Mulder and Scully through their case.
“
”
—John Shiban, on the nature of the episode[9]
For these reasons, Lance Henrikson, who portrayed Frank Black, was unhappy with the finished product. He believed that the episode was not a sufficient enough ending for the Millennium story.[19] After the cancellation of Millennium, Carter called up Henrikson and asked if he would be interested in appearing in an episode of The X-Files that would wrap up the show's arc. Henrikson was excited about the episode, but when he received the script it was about zombies, much to his dismay. He noted that the episode's story was "a reasonable X-File but it’s not Millennium."[20] Spotnitz later admitted that the episode "was not completely successful, I suppose, but still seems worth it for having brought back Lance Henriksen."[21]
The episode is notable for featuring the first actual kiss between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.[11][22] The series had featured other brushes with kisses between the two leads: in the fourth season episode "Small Potatoes", a shapeshifter, disguised as Mulder, nearly kissed her; in the 1998 film, the two's "lips brushed slightly before Scully got stung by a virus-carrying bee"; and in the sixth season entry "Triangle", Mulder kissed a Scully-lookalike from the 1930s in a reverie of his.[11] John Shiban developed the idea for a Mulder–Scully kiss, which was described by series creator Chris Carter as a "present for the fans."[22] Shiban noted that the episode's kiss felt like "the logical culmination of their relationship. They had been heading toward the kiss for years".[22] Gillian Anderson later explained that, "David [Duchovny] and I knew the kiss was coming. [...] I felt the editors of that episode milked it in a very effective way."[22] In order to create the atmosphere of the scene, specialized camera angles were used and everything was slowed down to make the scene last longer.[22] The Millennium Ball scene was digitally created on a computer because the episode was filmed in October, two months before the event was scheduled to take place. Special effects producer Bill Millar was tasked with digitally adding the number "2000" into archival footage of Dick Clark's 1999 New Years Eve show.[22][23] Dick Clark was later hired to come in and create a voice-over bit announcing the year 2000.[22]
Themes[edit]
The image is of four humanoids riding horses. The first is a skeleton in a cloth, the second is an older man carrying a scale, the third is a shirtless man yielding a sword, and the final is a man in regal attire wearing a crown and wielding a bow.
The four resurrected zombies are believed to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by the Millennium Group.
The episode makes prominent use of John 11:25–26 from the Christian Bible, which reads "Who soever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".[24] These were the words that were have believed to been said by Jesus when he rose Lazarus of Bethany from the dead; biblical scholars have noted that the verse was also intended as a foreshadow of his resurrection.[24] For this reason, the verse is used in the episode to represent a physical resurrection from the dead. However, Amy Donaldson, in her book We Want to Believe, notes that the verse is used for the wrong reasons in "Millennium"; the necromancer is able to successfully raise the dead by reciting the line, but only their bodies, resulting in mindless zombies. Later, the verse reappears in the eight season entry "Deadalive" during Mulder's funeral. In this instance, the verse is used to symbolize its true intentions, and Mulder is returned from the dead, both in mind and body.[24]
The episode also deals with the Book of Revelations, particularly verse 1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys to Hell and of death".[25] The Millennium Group believes that the four chosen members are the prophesied Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; although the group believes that fate is predetermined, they believe they can help by "making it happen themselves".[26] Thus, they commit suicide in order to be resurrected as the Four Horsemen.[26] Donaldson argues that Johnson and the Millennium Group have taken Jesus' promise of eternal life and resurrection too literally, resulting in "a recreated cycle in this life rather than escape into the next".[25] This is further proved when the four Millennium Group members return as zombies; they have achieved life after death, but only physically—not spiritually—by "abusing Jesus's words to take their fate into their own hands".[25]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Millennium" first aired in the United States on November 28, 1999 on Fox.[1] The night the episode aired, FX showed a nine-hour Millennium marathon, featuring episodes that were closely related to and led up to the cross-over. The marathon was hosted by Lance Henriksen leading up to the premiere.[11] The episode was viewed by 15.09 million viewers, and earned a Nielsen rating of 9.1, with a 13 share, meaning that roughly 9.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[27] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 9, 2000 and received 870,000 viewers, making it the sixth most-watched episode of the week.[28]
The image is of an older man with glasses wearing a black shirt. He is looking past the camera, smirking.
Before its premiere, the episode was promoted with a marathon of Millennium episodes hosted by Lance Henrikson.
The episode received mixed reviews from critics; Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles referred to the episode as "controversial" in their 2008 book, The Complete X-Files.[19] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, writing that "this episode vividly demonstrates that what Carl Sagan once called 'the burden of skepticism' is no longer being shouldered by anyone in the series. Why else would Mulder's assertion that a necromancer has successfully raised the dead provoke such a languid response in a room full of FBI agents?"[29] 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, noting that the episode's premise felt, "stylistically wrong for Millennium."[30] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson argued the episode was "a terrible X-File" because, instead of featuring Mulder and Scully solving a mystery, the plot revolved around the two saving the world from Armageddon, which caused "the thin credibility upon which hangs the series [to snap]."[30] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[31] Vitaris noted that, despite the teaser and first act being "promising enough", the episode "slides downhill rapidly with a storyline that crosses the border into ludicrous."[31]
Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B". He called the entry "tired" and wrote that it was "both too ambitious and not epic enough" to bring closure to Millennium.[32] Furthermore, he felt that the story's basic plot was too confusing and almost laughable. Despite this, he enjoyed Johnson's role as the villain, calling him "interesting", and he wrote that the scene with Mulder and Black in the cellar was "kind of cool" because of the "creepy zombie sequences".[32] Ted Cox of the Daily Herald called the entry "creepy" and "visually captivating", particularly praising the installment's "use of light and dark symbolism".[33] Ultimately, he noted that "it's good to once again see Mulder and Scully temporarily set free from the show's overarching conspiracy."[33] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "there were a lot of big, big things going on in this ep [sic], starting with Millennium's ace profiler Frank Black [...] reluctantly helping Mulder and Scully solve the apparent suicides of four FBI agents."[34] Rosell ultimately concluded that the reason the episode was a success was due to Mulder and Scully's kiss, a moment he called "inevitable" although he did not that "many think [it] really signaled the beginning of the end."[34] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files gave the episode a positive review and called it "highly entertaining" and "cause for celebration".[18] He noted that, while he had never seen an episode of Millennium, the series mythology and story-arcs "integrated seamlessly into this episode" in a way that non-Millennium fans could still enjoy it.[18]
The kiss between Mulder and Scully caused a fury of opinions. The Complete X-Files noted that many fans were "ecstatic" about Mulder and Scully's "long-awaited" kiss.[19] David Blar from DVD Talk called the episode "shocking" because of Mulder and Scully's kiss, asking, "why they didn't lock lips sooner"?[35] Paula Vitaris noted that the kiss "seems stuck on to the episode by a tack in its complete irrelevance to the storyline or Mulder and Scully in general."[31] Allan Johnson from the Chicago Tribune noted that "in a way, it's too bad Sunday's episode of Fox's The X-Files is getting more attention for what happens near the end than it does for its plot."[11] Kessenich praised the way the show worked in Mulder and Scully's kiss, noting that its lack of a "steamy, rip your clothes off" atmosphere made the sequence work "so well".[18] Handlen wrote that the scene, coupled with Black getting his daughter back, was "the only scene which comes close to justifying the episode’s existence".[32] Furthermore, he enjoyed the ambiguous nature of the kiss, noting that it could be "just a one time thing, or maybe it’s the start of something, or maybe it’s just a continuation of something that’s been going on for a long time now, right under our noses."[32]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro (2000), pp. 44–54
4.Jump up ^ Chamberlain and Dixon (2012) p. 231
5.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009) pp. 105–122
6.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009) pp. 145–163
7.Jump up ^ Chamberlain and Dixon (2012) pp. 89–100
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009) pp. 188–206
9.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shapiro (2000), p. 54
10.^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Chris, et al (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Johnson, Allan (25 November 1999). "Kiss and Tell". Chicago Tribune (Tribune Company). Retrieved 20 March 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Darin Morgan (writer); Rob Bowman (director) (12 April 1996). "Jose Chung's From Outer Space". The X-Files. Season 3. Episode 20. Fox.
13.Jump up ^ Darin Morgan (writer & director) (27 November 1997). "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense". Millennium. Season 2. Episode 9. Fox.
14.Jump up ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (30 April 2011). "'Emily'/'19:19' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d Squires, John (July 8, 2013). "Resident Evil, X-Files, Goosebumps – 10 Projects That Almost Made It to George Romero's Resume". Fearnet.com. Horror Entertainment, LLC. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
16.Jump up ^ Spotnitz, Frank (1998). "The Next Files". The X-Files Magazine.
17.Jump up ^ George Romero (1968). Night of the Living Dead (Digital). WebArchive. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
18.^ Jump up to: a b c d Kessenich (2002), pp. 93–95
19.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 174
20.Jump up ^ "Tough Guys: Lance Henriksen". Impact (MAI Publications): 33–37. May 2009.
21.Jump up ^ Spotnitz, Frank (2011). "The X-Files – Season 7 – Episode 5 – Millennium". Big Light Productions. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
22.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Shapiro (2000), p. 55
23.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2000). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Time Square 2000 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
24.^ Jump up to: a b c Donaldson (2011), pp. 210–211
25.^ Jump up to: a b c Donaldson (2011), p. 91
26.^ Jump up to: a b Donaldson (2011), p. 90
27.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), p. 281
28.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e April 3–9, 1999", listed under Sky 1
29.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (31 January 2000). "The X-Files – 'Millennium'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
30.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009), p. 209
31.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
32.^ Jump up to: a b c d Handlen, Zack (December 8, 2012). "'Hungry'/'Millennium' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Cox, Ted (26 November 1999). "Conspiracy Theory: The Uncertainty About the Future of 'The X-Files' Has Taken a Toll on the Usually Strong Series". Daily Herald (Paddock Publications). Retrieved 22, November 2012. (subscription required)
34.^ Jump up to: a b Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
35.Jump up ^ Blair, David (13 May 2003). "X-Files Complete Seventh Season". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
Chamberlain, Adam; Dixon, Brian, ed. (2012). Back to Frank Black. Fourth Horseman Press. ISBN 9780988392298.
Donaldson, Amy (2011). We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in the X-Files. Cascade Books. ISBN 9781606083611.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 9781933784724.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
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 7
"Millennium" at the Internet Movie Database
"Millennium" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
Millennium (TV series) episodes
Zombies in television
Crossover drama television series
1999 television episodes
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Rush (The X-Files)
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"Rush"
The X-Files episode
A woman shoots a man who is frozen with a scream.
Max Harden meets his end at the hands of Chastity Raines. In order to create the scene, a matte of Max was combined with smoke and a CGI bullet.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 5
Directed by
Robert Lieberman
Written by
David Amann
Production code
7ABX06
Original air date
December 5, 1999
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Rodney Scott as Tony Reed
Scott Cooper as Max Harden
Nicki Aycox as Chastity Raines
Les Lannom as Deputy Foster
Tom Bower as Sheriff Harden
David Wells as Mr. Babbitt
Ann Dowd as Mrs. Reed
Bill Dow as Charles Burks
Rachel Winfree as Nurse
Christopher Wynne as Deputy[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Millennium" Next →
"The Goldberg Variation"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Rush" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the 144th episode overall. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 1999. It was written by David Amann and directed by Robert Lieberman. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Rush" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.9, being watched by 12.71 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly mixed-to-negative 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 this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a high school student who is the prime suspect in the bizarre murder of a police officer. They discover that the boy and a couple of friends have been playing with the ability to accelerate their movements to a frequency the human eye can’t perceive.
The idea for "Rush" had been proposed as far back as the sixth season of The X-Files. However, the original plot of the episode—the effects of having super speed—eventually delved into "deeper" themes, such as drug abuse, boredom, and the teenage experience. Although the episode relied on special effects, many of the scenes were created by manipulating the speed of the camera during filming.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and casting
2.2 Special effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Tony Reed and two other teenagers meet in the woods late at night in Pittsfield, Virginia, but they are interrupted by a sheriff's deputy. Moments later the deputy is murdered, killed with his own flashlight. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) later examine the deputy's body: the blow that killed the man was so ferocious that his glasses were pushed through the back of his skull. They question the suspect, teenager Tony Reed, whose fingerprints were found on the flash light, but he denies any part in the murder. Mulder and Scully agree that Tony is innocent, although Mulder's theory of spirit involvement is not shared by Scully. Scully, on the other hand, suggests they question Tony's friends. Mulder and Scully visit Tony's school and speak with the two teenagers who were with Tony in the woods: the sheriff's son, Max Harden, and his girlfriend Chastity. Chastity seems concerned about Tony when Mulder and Scully tell her he may go to jail. However, Tony is later released when the murder weapon mysteriously goes missing from the evidence room. Mulder and Scully review video footage from the evidence room that shows the flashlight simply disappear. However, a blur on the video footage attracts Mulder's attention and later analysis by an expert reveals the blurred object is solid and matches the local high school's colors. When one of the teachers at the high school who was strongly despised by Max is attacked and murdered by an unseen force in front of many witnesses, Mulder suspects Max possesses some kind of paranormal ability and is using it to kill.
Mulder believes Harden's changing teenage hormones are giving him paranormal abilities that allow him to attack people without touching them. Meanwhile, Tony follows Chastity into a cave in the woods and stumbles upon a bizarre shaft of light. Once Tony steps into the light, he is possessed with the same abilities that Max and Chastity have, the ability to vibrate at high frequencies, allowing Tony to move faster than normal vision can detect. At the same time, however, Max collapses and is sent to the hospital where it is found he is suffering from exhaustion, withdrawal, a concussion, muscular tears and skeletal fractures - basically, his abilities are killing him. Mulder eventually deduces that he possesses superhuman speed. Chastity sneaks Max out of the hospital where he returns to the cave. Later, the sheriff finds the flashlight in Max's room and confronts his son about the murders. Max confesses and then attempts to kill his father, but Tony intervenes, taking the sheriff's gun. Tony and Max confront each other at the cave, but Chastity shoots Max, using her abilities, then allows herself to be shot by the same bullet. Afterwards, numerous geological experts examine the cave but are unable to identify anything unusual. The city then fills the cave with concrete, sealing it forever, leaving the question as to what caused the teenager-related ability a mystery.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing and casting[edit]
The basic concept behind "Rush" had been coming together since the sixth season. According to series creator Chris Carter, the way in which to portray the teenagers on screen was "tricky".[2] He noted, "it had been a long time since we had dealt with teenage angst. [But] it was being done everywhere else and we wanted to take a run at it."[2] David Amman, who wrote the episode, later explained that the original idea for the episode was simply "[the] effect having the power of super speed would have on troubled teens." However, the story quickly developed "deeper" meanings: drug abuse, boredom, and the teenage experience.[3]
According to casting director Rick Millikan, choosing actors and actresses for the episode was more difficult than usual. He explained, "it was all teenagers, but this being The X-Files we were looking for something other than the typical 90210-type kids."[3] Millikan eventually cast individuals who could play a "subtle kind of evil", as well as display "arrogance" and "vulnerability".[3] Rodney Scott was cast as Tony Reed. Scott, at the time, was more notable for his roles as David Cassidy in the in the 1999 television movie Come On, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story, and for his role as William "Will" Krudski on the popular show Dawson's Creek.[3]
Special effects[edit]
The high speed effects were made by using different frame rates during filming.
The episode, most notably the scenes featuring the teenagers moving at high speed, relied heavily on special effects. However, instead of creating them on a computer, director Robert Lieberman was able to create many of the necessary scenes using different camera speeds.[3] In order to get the proper feel for the rush effects, test footage of assistant director Xochi Blymyer was filmed at 24 frames per second (FPS), 12 FPS, 6 FPS and 3 FPS. After filming, a digital "blur effect" was added to make the shot look unfocused. During the scene where the teenagers stumble into the light and receive the speed power, the special effects crew shot two separate shots: one of the teens' bodies and one of the teens' heads rapidly flailing. The special effects crew then "pull[ed] the head[s] off" of the shots featuring the teens moving rapidly, and used them to replace the heads on the shots of the teens' still bodies. This method kept their bodies in focus but allowed their heads to rapidly move.[4]
The crew used several different styles for the "bullet time" scene. In order to create the shot, a matte of the bullet emerging from Max's chest was combined with smoke and "phony CGI bullets", according to producer Paul Rabwin.[5] The crew tried different tracking devices for the bullet, including a pronounced blur effect, which was later removed in favor of a more realistic "smoke" pathway. The production crew had a difficult time deciding whether or not the bullet should remain at Chastity's speed as she walked towards it, or whether she should pass the bullet; the group eventually went with the latter.[5]
Stunt coordinator Danny Wesiles helped arrange the more frantic shots, such as the scene wherein a lunch table kills a teacher. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz later called the scene, "probably one of the most horrific things we've ever done."[3] Due to the violent nature of the episode—and the table scene in particular—Fox's Standards and Practices department had an issue with the series showing "the impact between the table and the man".[3] In order to comply, the impact was removed, but the rest of the scene stayed intact. Spotnitz later noted that, "when you take out the impact, the audience's imagination is ten times worse."[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Rush" first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 1999.[6] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.9, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[7] It was viewed by 12.71 million viewers.[7] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 16, 2000 and received 0.79 million viewers, making it the sixth most watched episode that week.[8] The episode was later nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Dramatic Series as well as an International Monitor Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects.[9]
The episode received mostly mixed to negative reviews from critics. Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[10] She noted that the episode suffered from a "bland story" filled with "bland teens", noting that the actors playing the three main teenagers were "as generic as can be".[10] Vitaris ultimately concluded that "'Rush' is hardly the worst of The X-Files; it's merely forgettable."[10] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, arguing that the show was re-using plot lines and that the personalities of the teenagers were wholly uninteresting.[11] He wrote, "This episode unfolds with a bland sense of familiarity. Once again, troubled adolescents are toying with paranormal forces that can only get them into further trouble. Sadly, these adolescents lack interesting personalities, and the force in question remains wholly mysterious."[11] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that the episode was "Not brilliant, but moderately entertaining."[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.[13] Despite praising the episode's set pieces, they ultimately concluded that "The X-Files just isn't cool anymore daddio."[13]
Not all reviews were so negative. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B–". While enjoying the premise, he criticized the entry for featuring a guest cast that "mostly sucks".[14] He did, however, positively comment on the scene wherein Max kills his teacher, noting that it "is a brutal, visceral sequence" that the episode could have used more of.[14] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review, writing, "'Rush' was sufficiently creepy and had some wonderful character interaction between Mulder and Scully." Furthermore, he noted that the characterization "helped make it a very enjoyable entry into what is quickly becoming a very enjoyable season."[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 57–66
2.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 66
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Shapiro, p. 67
4.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2000). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Blur Effects (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Paul Rabwin (2000). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Bullet Time (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
6.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
8.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e April 10–16, 2000", listed under Sky 1
9.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 280
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Silber, Kenneth (11 August 2000). "The X-Files - 'Rush'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 210
14.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (December 15, 2012). "'Rush'/'Goldberg Variation' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 97
BibliographyKessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Rush" at the Internet Movie Database
"Rush" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
1999 television episodes
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The Goldberg Variation (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"The Goldberg Variation"
The X-Files episode
Two federal agents, one a man, the other a woman, examine another man's Goldberg Machine.
Mulder and Scully examine Henry Weems's Rube Goldberg machine, the inspiration for the episode's title.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 6
Directed by
Thomas J. Wright
Written by
Jeffrey Bell
Production code
7ABX02
Original air date
December 12, 1999
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Willie Garson as Henry Weems
Ramy Zada as Jimmy Cutrona
Alyson Reed as Maggie Lupone
Shia LaBeouf as Richie Lupone
Tony Longo as Dominic
Ernie Lee Banks as Maurice
Chip Fogleman as Billy
Marshall Manesh as Mr. Jank
Dom Magwili as Mr. Ng
Nicholas Worth as Mr. Haas
Dominqiue Pi Prima as Megan McLean[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Rush" Next →
"Orison"
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Goldberg Variation" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 12, 1999. It was written by Jeffrey Bell, directed by Thomas J. Wright, and featured guest appearances by Willie Garson and Shia LaBeouf. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Goldberg Variation" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.8, being watched by 14.49 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received 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. 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 mysterious man named Henry Weems, who appears to be the luckiest man in the world. The title is a dual reference to Rube Goldberg machines and the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Bell's original draft of the episode opened with a man falling thirty-thousand feet from an airplane and walking away unharmed. Due to budgetary reasons, the intro was later changed to a man falling out of a building. Willie Garson—who had appeared in the third season episode "The Walk"—was cast as Henry Weems, breaking a "long-standing rule" on the show to not recast previous actors. The first cut of the episode was four minutes under-time, and so various insert shots and new scenes had to be filmed in order to compensate.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Post-production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
A man by the name of Henry Weems wins $100,000 playing poker against a mobster named Joe Cutrona, though Weems appears ignorant of the basic rules of poker. Suspecting that Weems cheated, Cutrona attempts to kill him by throwing him off the 29th story of a building. After Weems lands in an access hatch to a basement, he stands right back up and walks away, completely uninjured. Two agents in a car stationed outside witness the event and eventually tell Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who promptly take the case. Mulder initially believes the man has the ability to cure himself, but Scully thinks he may just be very lucky by landing in a pile of laundry
The agents track down Weems, a handyman at an apartment building. He refuses to testify against Cutrona. Weems has a fascination with Rube Goldberg Machines. As such, his apartment is filled with them. After meeting with Weems, Mulder agrees with Scully concluding that his luck is the X-File in question. As the agents begin to leave the complex, one of Cutrona's enforcers comes to kill Weems. However, the assassin dies in an improbable cascade of events reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg machine: after being distracted when Mulder buzzes the intercom, he accidentally shoots a lamp that knocks over an ironing board, then trips over the ironing board and ends up getting strangled in a fan. The two agents rush back up stairs and find Weems unscathed. Weems notes he was also the sole survivor of a commuter jet crash that killed 20 people in December 1989, where he was placed in Seat 13 of Flight 7: lucky numbers.
Weems picks up a lottery ticket and wins $100,000 but learns that it would take 12 months to get the money, so he throws the ticket away. A man picks the ticket out of the trash and is then hit by a truck after Weems warned him that "something bad will happen." Later, Mulder comes to question Weems again and another one of Cutrona's enforcers comes to kill Weems but his bullet ricochets off Weems' pocket knife and kills the enforcer. Weems confesses that he's been trying to find a way to get $100,000 to pay for an expensive medical treatment for the serious illness of a boy in his apartment building, Richie (Shia LaBeouf), has. Weems attempts at getting the money, however, have brought him above the radar. Later, after Weems is hit by a car, it appears that Henry's lucky streak has reached its end. Cutrona kidnaps Richie's mom, Maggie, to stop Henry from testifying against him. Henry is also taken but all the mobsters are killed in a bizarre turn of events. In the end, it turns out that Cutrona is an organ donor and a perfect match for Richie, who gets the treatment.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
"The Goldberg Variation" was inspired by various Rube Goldberg machines.
The episode's title is a pun. It refers to both cartoonist Rube Goldberg, who was famous for his drawings of incredibly complex machines made out of everyday objects that performed rudimentary tasks,[2] as well as the harpsichord piece, the "Goldberg Variations", by Johann Sebastian Bach.[3] The elaborate contraptions Henry Weems created are physical examples of such machines.[2] Episode writer Jeffrey Bell noted that he wanted the episode to function "as a Rube Goldberg device" and so he wrote the story to revolve around the ideas of good luck and bad luck. Originally, the episode's opening scene was to have featured Weems falling thirty thousand feet from an airplane and walking away unscathed. Although Bell's pitch was met with enthusiasm, many writers and producers for the show were cautious, because they realized the episode would have several humorous moments. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz explained: "The episode had a lot of humorous moments that we were afraid of doing because as many people who like the funny ones hate the funny ones."[4] Eventually, the episode was green-lighted, but pushed to later in the season because, according to Spotnitz, "we wanted to scare the hell out of everybody during the first few episodes."[4]
Bell began crafting his script, adding a mafia-related sub-plot and replacing the airplane drop with a fall from a building, for budgetary reasons. The biggest hurdle for the episode, however, was crafting the Rube Goldberg machine. However, because Bell had "extra time" to write his script, the art department was given a head start on crafting the contraption.[4] Gillian Anderson later explained that working with the machines required a lot of patience, because multiple takes had to be filmed in order to make sure everything went as planned. Rick Millikan, the show's casting director, broke a "long-standing rule" on the show and re-cast Willie Garson—who had appeared in the third season episode "The Walk"—as Henry Weems. Millikan noted that Garson was "literally the best person for the job."[5]
Post-production[edit]
After the episode was finished filming, the footage entered into a long period of editing. Series creator Chris Carter noted that the episode "wasn't cutting together well and that there were things that just didn't work."[5] Eventually the resultant footage was reworked into an acceptable manner when suddenly the series ran into another problem: the episode was four minutes under time.[5] In order to compensate for this, additional inserts of the Rube Goldberg Machine were filmed as well as a scene featuring Mulder and Scully discussing the episode's backstory.[5] The latter, which was filmed several months after the rest of the episode, required Anderson to wear a wig because her hair style had substantially changed.[5]
When the episode was finally finished and aired, it was highly enjoyed by The X-Files cast and crew. Carter called the entry "tight, funny, touching, and quirky."[5] Series writer Vince Gilligan was impressed with the episode, and noted that the episode represented the seventh season of the show as whole. He explained: "The seventh season, for my money, was one of our best because we took more storytelling risks than in previous years."[2]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Goldberg Variation" first aired in the United States on December 12, 1999.[6] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.8, with a 13 share, meaning that roughly 8.8 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[7] It was viewed by 14.49 million viewers.[7] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 23, 2000 and received 0.78 million viewers, making it the fifth most watched episode that week.[8]
The episode received mixed-to-positive reviews. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review. He favorably compared the episode to the sixth season episode "The Rain King" and noted that "'The Rain King' [written by Jeff Bell] was quite simply one of the joys of season six. So it hardly came as a surprise to me that I enjoyed Bell's 'The Goldberg Variation" entry for [season seven]. It was cute, light-hearted, and a little kooky, with a happy ending to boot."[9] Den of Geek writer Juliette Harrisson named the episode the "finest stand-alone episode" of Season Seven and wrote, "Since 'The X-Files’ roots are in horror, feel-good episodes are few and far between, and something to be treasured when they appear. The Goldberg Variation is the perfect feel-good X-Files episode; not too soppy, not too harsh, but just the right mix of ludicrous gangster deaths and saving the cute kid."[10] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it three stars out of four.[11] She called the episode a "charmer" and praised Willie Garvin's characterization of Harry Weems.[11] Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote positively of the episode, writing, "'The Goldberg Variation' is a clever, witty standout from the recent middling run of X-Files episodes."[12] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+" and called it a "fun" entry that shows off the series' "emotional palette".[13] He felt that the episode successfully managed to convey a "clever and whimsical" feel, but that the conceit of a "good man" as the monster of the episode does not make it particularly scary.[13] All-in-all, he felt that it "all works out in the end".[13]
Other reviews were more mixed. Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars and noted that despite the episode being "Funny stuff," it was ultimately "a little uneven overall."[14] 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. Despite calling the episode "a likeable piece of work", the two explained that the story itself was fine, but that the episode's set piece did not work with the plot.[15] Shearman and Pearson, however, ultimately concluded that the premise was "such a well-meaning little bauble that you want to applaud it for its intent if nothing else."[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 69–80
2.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 177
3.Jump up ^ Koven, p. 340
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Shapiro, p. 80
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 81
6.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
8.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved January 4, 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e April 17–23, 2000", listed under Sky 1
9.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 97
10.Jump up ^ Harrisson, Juliette (September 6, 2011). "A look back over The X-Files’ finest stand-alone episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
12.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (August 19, 2000). "The X-Files – 'The Goldberg Variation'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c VanDerWerff, Todd (December 15, 2012). "'Rush'/'Goldberg Variation' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (July 27, 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 211
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Koven, Mikel J. (2010), "The X-Files", in Lavery, David, The Essential Cult TV Reader, Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, ISBN 0-8131-2568-5
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"The Goldberg Variation" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Goldberg Variation" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
1999 television episodes
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Orison (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Orison"
The X-Files episode
A man stares at the camera.
The return of death fetishist Donny Pfaster. Pfaster originally appeared in the second season episode "Irresistible."
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 7
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
Chip Johannessen
Production code
7ABX07
Original air date
January 9, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Nick Chinlund as Donnie Pfaster
Scott Wilson as Reverend Orison
Steve Rankin as U.S. Marshal Joseph Daddo
Irene Muzzy as Waitress
Tera Buck as Runaway
Lisa Kushell as Lady in Red
Rick Cramer as Guard
Emilio Rivera as Brigham
Eric Buker as U.S. Marshal[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Goldberg Variation" Next →
"The Amazing Maleeni"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Orison" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 9, 2000. It was written by Chip Johannessen, directed by Rob Bowman, and featured guest appearances by Nick Chinlund. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. In addition, "Orison" serves as a sequel, and brings closure, to the second season episode "Irresistible", with Chinlund reprising his role as Donnie Pfaster. "Orison" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.4, being watched by 15.63 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, with several heavily criticizing the final scene featuring Scully killing Pfaster, calling it a betrayal of characterization.
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, Reverend Orison releases Donnie Pfaster, Scully's former kidnapper, from jail in the hopes of passing judgment on him. What he discovers instead is that he has released pure evil, and it’s headed for Scully.
"Orison" was written by Johannessen, who had formerly been an executive producer on the television series Millennium. Johannessen's first draft featured an escaped prisoner who could stop time. Executive producers Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and John Shiban enjoyed the premise and decided to bring back Donnie Pfaster. However, instead of continuing in the style of "Irresistible", the episode went in a "substantial new direction".
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting and filming
2.3 Music
3 Broadcast and reception
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
At a prison, a man gets his fingers chopped off during a workshop and all the other inmates move very slowly to help him, while one man walks out at regular speed. The man is revealed to be Donnie Pfaster, who kidnapped Scully five years earlier. Pfaster, who happens to be a "death fetishist", is obsessed with cutting women's hair and eating their fingers. After hearing that Pfaster escaped from prison, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) take the case and investigate. It turns out three men escaped from three prisons and all had contact with a prison chaplain named Reverend Orison. Eventually, the US Marshals corner Pfaster and Orison at a diner, but Orison uses his power of persuasion to distract the Marshals, allowing the two to escape. Pfaster takes Orison's car and runs Orison over. Meanwhile, Scully keeps hearing the same song, "Don't Look Any Further", everywhere she goes and soon begins to believe it is a sign. After finding him unconscious, Mulder and Scully question Orison and show him a photo of the remains of a prostitute Pfaster killed. They also find that Orison killed someone and spent 22 years in prison himself. Orison claims he is being spoken to by God and doing his work. After a medical exam, Mulder finds out that Orison has three times the bloodflow capacity of the brain and he drilled a hole in head, allowing him to perform mental tricks by hypnotizing people. He does this while repeating the phrase "Glory, Amen."
Later, Orison hypnotizes the security guard in his room and escapes. Pfaster hires a prostitute, but soon realizes she is wearing a wig and attempts to attack her, but she gets away. Orison finds Pfaster and takes him at gunpoint while he digs a grave for him, but Pfaster morphs into a demonic beast and kills Orison, burying him in his own shallow grave. Pfaster then calls the police, tells them where Orison is buried, and goes to Scully's house. He attacks Scully and Scully confesses to him that the only reason he was not given the death penalty was because she asked the judge for life. He overpowers her and locks her in her own closet. Mulder thinks something may be wrong when he hears the same song on his radio and calls Scully. After receiving no answer, he goes over to her house and stumbles upon Pfaster, promptly arresting him. Meanwhile, Scully escapes from the closet and shoots Pfaster, despite him being unarmed, killing him. Scully later confides in Mulder, telling him she's scared because she's not sure who's in control of her, God or something else.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
"Orison" was written by Chip Johannessen, who had formerly been an executive producer on the Chris Carter-created television series Millennium. In Johannessen's first draft, the episode's main antagonist was a prisoner with the ability to stop time. Executive producers Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and John Shiban found the episode's premise promising. However, Carter enjoyed the story because it bore stylistic similarities to the first season episode "Beyond the Sea".[2]
After reading the first draft, Spotnitz and Carter decided to reintroduce Donnie Pfaster, a character from the second season episode "Irresistible". Carter noted that, "we had talked about possibly revisiting some old monster this season, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity."[2] The writers and producers decided to take "Orison" in a "substantial new direction".[3] Although Donnie Pfaster was originally portrayed as a "death fetishist", his nature was non-supernatural. In "Orison", however, it was decided to make Pfaster into a true demon. Shiban explained "we decided late in the process to turn him into this totally demonic character, essentially evil as an entity."[2] Spotnitz was very excited about bringing closure to the Pfaster-Scully story. He explained, "For me, what really justified bringing Donnie back was the final act of the script when Donnie comes for Scully and she ends up shooting him full of holes."[2] The final scene, however, proved difficult to script. Director Rob Bowman noted, that the act "was a tough scene. Frank and I had spoken on the phone about the dialogue in the wrap-up scene with Mulder and Scully. Even though she shot him in the heightened state, you couldn't deny the fact that she killed Donnie Psaster [sic] in cold blood. How do we deal with that?"[4]
Casting and filming[edit]
Nick Chinlund returned to the series to reprise his role as Pfaster. Rick Millikan, the show's casting director, eventually settled on Scott Wilson for the role of Orison believing that he could pull off the "dual nature" of the character better than anyone else.[2] The episode featured several complex scenes, most notably the shot at the beginning, where time slows to a stop. Bowman used several different takes, all filmed at different film speeds in order to achieve the right effect. The final fight scene between Scully and Pfaster took a day and a half to film. Make-up for the episode was done by John Vulich, who sought to "pay homage" to the make-up in the original episode. In order to do this, Vulich perused several fan sites and downloaded photos that he used as models.[3]
Music[edit]
The song that Scully keeps hearing in the episode is "Don't Look Any Further", originally by former Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards. The production staff went through several cover versions in order to find the right one for the episode. Unfortunately, according to Paul Rabwin, none of the songs "really worked."[3] Originally, Rabwin wanted Lyle Lovett to record a cover for the episode, but he was unavailable, so the staff asked singer-songwriter John Hiatt. Rabwin later called Hiatt's version "chilling, eerie, and soulful.".[3] Mark Snow, the show's composer, used various musical effects for emphasis. He explained, "There's a slo-mo scene where Mulder comes in the room with Scully and guns are drawn. They're looking around, and I do these big boom single hits with a lot of reverb. There's nothing else but that. Sometimes, that is really effective."[4]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Orison" first aired in the United States on January 9, 2000.[5] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.4, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 9.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[6] It was viewed by 15.63 million viewers.[6] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 30, 2000. and received 0.78 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched television episode of any program that week.[7] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Five years ago, a demonic madman tried to murder Scully. Tonight he strikes again."[8]
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote positively of the episode, saying, "'Orison' rises above its origins in the depressing, hackneyed genre of serial-killer dramas. The episode combines a fast pace with a richly gloomy mood, and even serves to blur the all-too-sharp distinction between standalone X-Files stories and the series' 'mythology arc.'"[9] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars and called the episode "creepy, dark and wonderful". Rosell argued that the episode "adds fuel to the fiery argument that it is [Scully], and not Mulder, that the real heart of the series was built on."[10] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review, writing "['Orison'] was a journey filled with horror, mystery, and self-analysis. It was also one of the most exhilarating journeys the seventh season has produced thus far."[11] Furthermore, Kessenich defended Scully's actions at the end of the episode writing that "what we saw at the end of 'Orison' was a human being pushed beyond the breaking point by a man [...] it doesn't make what she did right, but it certainly wasn't a difficult thing to understand."[12] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B" and felt that the episode, despite its faults, had elements that were particularly interesting.[13] He noted that the titular chaplain was a "potentially fascinating figure" who was never explored to his full extent, and that the ending was effective in that it "helps transform the episode’s climax into something more than a simple regurgitation".[13] Finally, he positively compared the mood and thematic elements of the episode to Carter's other series Millennium.[13]
Not all reviews were positive. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, were extremely critical of the episode and rated it one star out of five. Shearman and Pearson called the episode a "mess", with the effect that "it cheapens 'Irresistible' badly".[14] The two, however, point out the sequence wherein Scully murders Pfaster as the worst scene in the episode, arguing that the scene was "at worst a betrayal of characterization that has badly damaged the moral fibre of the series."[14] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a largely negative review and awarded it one star out of four.[15] Vitaris heavily criticized the episode as "a retread of 'Irresistible'".[15] Furthermore, she derided the ending, noting that "nothing in the episode [indicated] that Scully [was] on the verge of losing her self-control".[15]
See also[edit]
List of unmade episodes of The X-Files
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 83–92
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shapiro, p. 92
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 93
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 117
5.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
7.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e April 17–30, 2000", listed under Sky 1
8.Jump up ^ Orison (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 1999.
9.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (4 August 2000). "The X-Files - 'Orison'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 102
12.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 104
13.^ Jump up to: a b c Handlen, Zack (December 22, 2012). "'Orison'/'The Amazing Maleeni' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 212
15.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Orison" at the Internet Movie Database
"Orison" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
1999 television episodes
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The Amazing Maleeni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"The Amazing Maleeni"
The X-Files episode
A decapitated head lies on the floor.
The decapitated head of The Amazing Maleeni. One review was critical of the teaser's resolution, or rather lack thereof.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 8
Directed by
Thomas J. Wright
Written by
Vince Gilligan
John Shiban
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
7ABX08
Original air date
January 16, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Ricky Jay as Herman/Albert Pinchbeck
Jonathan Levit as Billy LaBonge
Robert LaSardo as Cissy Alvarez
Jim Maniaci as Bullethead
Rick Marzan as Holding Cell Officer
Mark Chaet as Bank Officer
Dennis Keiffer as Bullethead
Dan Rice as Uniform Cop
Sherri Howard as Female Employee
J. David as Young Boss
Steven Barr as Courier Guard
Adam Vernier as Driver[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Orison" Next →
"Signs and Wonders"
List of The X-Files episodes
"The Amazing Maleeni" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 16, 2000. It was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz and directed by Thomas J. Wright. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Amazing Maleeni" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.4, being watched by 16.18 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed 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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, The Amazing Maleeni, a small-time magician, performs an amazing feat to impress a heckler—he turns his head 360 degrees. So when he is later found without a head at all, Mulder and Scully arrive on the case and discover an angry ex-con, an unimpressed rival, and Maleeni’s twin brother. All seem to have something to do with a plan to rob a major bank.
Although written by Gilligan, Shiban, and Spotnitz, the story for "The Amazing Maleeni" was conceived largely by executive producer Frank Spotnitz, who had wanted to do an episode dealing with "magic and illusion" since the show's second season. Real-life magician Ricky Jay, who also was Spotnitz's favorite, was brought in to play the part of the titular Maleeni.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Special effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
A magician, The Amazing Maleeni, twists his head completely around at a carnival, while Billy LaBonge, another magician, heckles Maleeni during the event. As he's leaving, his severed head falls completely off. Billy LaBonge is later questioned by Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson); he tells the agents that he thought Maleeni was a ripoff. During the autopsy, Scully finds that, although Maleeni's head was cleanly cut off, he died of a heart attack. She also finds that he was dead for at least a month and refrigerated, even though the carnival manager spoke to him mere moments leading up to his head falling off.
Meanwhile, LaBonge finds a man named Cissy Alvarez who Maleeni owed money. LaBonge admits that he caused Maleeni's head to fall off, and says that he will give Alvarez the money he is owed if he helps him with his magic. Mulder and Scully learn that Maleeni has an identical twin brother, Albert. Albert, interestingly enough is even wearing a neckbrace, which he says he got in a car accident in Mexico. Mulder tells him he thinks he did the magic act, but the man shows that he has no legs, which he also lost in Mexico in the car accident. Back at work, Alvarez threatens Pinchbeck that he will kill him if he does not get his money. LaBonge then frames Alvarez for a robbery by attacking a security truck disguised as Alvarez. Mulder soon finds out that Pinchbeck is the real Maleeni and that he faked having no legs. After confronting Pinchbeck, he admits that he faked his own death in order to get out of Alvarez's debt. Pinchbeck admits that he found his brother dead of a heart attack at home and used his body as a double. Pinchbeck is promptly arrested, as is LaBonge, who brings a gun to a bar, in an attempt to purposely get arrested. In addition, Alvarez is arrested because of the attempted robbery LaBonge did earlier.
The vault at Pinchbeck's work is emptied and the money is found above Alvarez' bar. Later Mulder and Scully confront LaBonge and Maleeni as they are released on bail, where Mulder expains that he figured out their plan - LaBonge and Pinchbeck were not, in fact, enemies, and that they had been working together to put Alvarez in prison for making LaBonge's life miserable in prison 8 years prior, and that, as masters of sleight of hand and escape tricks, the two of them easily escaped, performed the robbery, and returned to their cells before being noticed.
After the two magicians make their exit, confident in the lack of evidence against them, Mulder reveals to Scully the true trick being performed—that everything involving Alvarez was purely misdirection. Earlier, when checking whether Pinchbeck had stolen funds from the bank, the manager had told Mulder they would need his badge number and thumb print to gain access to the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system. Mulder shows Scully Maleeni's wallet, which he had collected from evidence before confronting him and LaBonge. When the agents first met LaBonge, he had surreptitiously pickpocketed their badges as an example of his skill with sleight of hand, which gave him Mulder's badge number. Upon their first meeting with Pinchbeck impersonating his brother, Pinchbeck did a card trick with Mulder, leaving Mulder's prints on the card, which as Mulder displays, is securely in Maleeni's wallet. Mulder explains that the pair purposely acted in a high profile manner to draw the attention of the FBI, and that if they had collected the badge number and thumbprint, they would have been able to perform EFTs. As Mulder and Scully leave the jail, Scully shows that she, too, has learned a trick, and turns both of her hands around 360 degrees in a similar fashion as LaBonge had done with one hand before. Mulder asks Scully to explain how, and she brushes him off, saying simply "magic".[1]
Production[edit]
Noted magician Ricky Jay appeared in the episode.
Writing[edit]
The idea behind "The Amazing Maleeni" started with executive producer Frank Spotnitz. When pitching ideas for the seventh season episodes, Spotnitz wanted an episode to deal solely on "magic and illusion" and have nothing to do with the paranormal. Spotnitz had been petitioning the writers of The X-Files for a magic-based episode since season two, but nothing ever came to light. Eventually, during the seventh season, Vince Gilligan was assigned to write the episode, something he describes as "agony".[2] Gilligan explained, "The episode started with Frank, because he—for several years—had wanted to write an episode about magicians. Frank was a fan of the TV show The Magician with Bill Bixby so I believe that was part of it, but Frank was interested in the idea of magic and the idea of fooling people who wished to be fooled."[3]
Spotnitz's favorite magician was Ricky Jay, and so, for the episode, Jay was brought in to play the part of The Amazing Maleeni. Initially, however, the episode hit a snag. The production crew discovered that Jay's production agency had not been informed and that he would be unable to guest star in the episode. The staff's back-up magician, David Blaine, was unavailable for shooting as well. Series creator Chris Carter, however, later stated that the show would not take no for an answer: "We got on the phone with him. He agreed to come to our offices to talk about the script and ended up doing some card tricks for us that reduced Frank and I to being six-year-olds again."[2] Jay eventually agreed to do the part, but requested that he only do the tricks he was accustomed to doing. Thus, many of Jay's trademark tricks were included in the episode's script.[2] Gilligan, in retrospect, later noted, "There was no choice other than Ricky Jay as far as we were concerned. He was not looking forward to the idea of playing a magician because I think he felt that magicians were never portrayed very realistically in movies or television shows."[3]
The cast and crew of the episode enjoyed the "amusement park" feel of the story. Gillian Anderson later noted, "Because of all the magic, I was constantly being entertained. The difficulty with something like this is you have tendency to forget that people are still having bad things happen to them."[2] Anderson later stated that, because many of the lines were written in a tongue-in-cheek style, she and David Duchovny said them in a humorous style; the two had to keep reminding themselves that the story revolved around a murder.[2]
Special effects[edit]
The episode used several special effects. However, in order to ensure that the episode felt "camera-real" to preserve the theme of magic and illusions, many of the more intense effects were replaced with more conventional effects. For instance, the scene wherein Bill LaBonge's hand erupted into flames was created through the use of stunt man, rather than through expensive and, ultimately, "less convincing" CGI effects. The scene featuring The Amazing Maleeni turning his head 360 degrees was created using a prosthetic head, courtesy of John Vulich's Optic Nerve Studios.[2]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"The Amazing Maleeni" first aired in the United States on January 16, 2000.[4] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.4, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 9.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[5] It was viewed by 16.18 million viewers.[5] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 7, 2000 and received 0.79 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched episode that week.[6]
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode's intricacy, writing, "'The Amazing Maleeni' is a convoluted episode that ultimately lacks verve and excitement. Even if one can figure out what is going on, there remains the question of how much, or even whether, to care."[7] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated it two stars out of five. The two noted that, had the episode used real magic tricks instead of "resort[ing] to CGI, the episode would have been much more than a simple "cheat".[8] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson criticized the fact that the explanation behind Maleeni turning his head around 360 degrees was never satisfactorily explained.[8] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[9] Vitaris compared the episode's plot to the 1999 movie Arlington Road, noting that while "the scheme is fun to watch while it unfolds, […] in the end, it's not credible; too much is left open to chance for it really to happen."[9]
Not all reviews were so critical. Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars. Although he noted that the episode was "not Gilligan's best work" and that the writing was "a little spotty", he said "the vibe [of 'The Amazing Maleeni'] is very well done."[10] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a moderately positive review, writing "My heart wasn't racing and I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat as Mulder and Scully unasked our two magicians their rather elementary plot. […] But it was fun to put the clues together to see what it all added up to."[11] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+" and wrote that he "love[d] it".[12] He praised the episode's "good-naturedness", which he felt was due to Mulder and Scully's interaction.[12] Handlen also enjoyed the writing, noting that the "script also does a good job at doling out its secrets in a way that never makes either the magicians or our heroes come off as idiots".[12]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 95–104
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 105
3.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 177
4.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
6.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e May 1–7, 2000", listed under Sky 1
7.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (9 June 2000). "The X-Files - 'The Amazing Maleeni'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 213
9.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
10.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 107
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Handlen, Zack (December 22, 2012). "'Orison'/'The Amazing Maleeni' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"The Amazing Maleeni" at the Internet Movie Database
"The Amazing Maleeni" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
Screenplays by Vince Gilligan
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Signs and Wonders (The X-Files)
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"Signs and Wonders"
The X-Files episode
A man lies on the floor, covered in rattlesnakes.
Mulder is attacked by demonically-possessed snakes. Due to the nature of the episode, it was described as "one of the scariest episodes of season 7" by one reviewer.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 9
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Jeffrey Bell
Production code
7ABX09
Original air date
January 23, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Randy Oglesby as Reverend Samuel Mackey
Michaels Childers as Reverend Enoch O'Connor
Tracy Middendorf as Gracie
Beth Grant as Iris Finster
Eric Nenninger as Jared Chirp
Elyse Donalson as Elderly Woman
Phyllis Franklin as Middle-Aged Woman
Dan Manning as Deputy
Steve Johnson as EMT
Philip Lenkowsky as Holy Spirit Man #1
Clement E. Blake as Holy Sprit Man #2
Donna May as Holy Spirit Woman #1[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Amazing Maleeni" Next →
"Sein und Zeit"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Signs and Wonders" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 23, 2000. It was written by Jeffrey Bell, directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Signs and Wonders" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.5, being watched by 13.86 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode 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. 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 the Church of God with Signs and Wonders, a church where the Bible is read literally, and punishment is dealt deftly, after a small town church is the site of a number of ritualistic-like murders. But soon the agents realize that the difference between the peaceful religious and the fanatics may not be very much at all.
Bell wished to write a "down-and-dirty" horror story about a snake-handling church. Furthermore, Bell wanted the true antagonist of the episode to remain hidden until the very end. In order to do this, the script was written so that Mulder suspected the wrong individual. According to executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the theme of the episode was "intolerance can be good", in some cases. The episode used live rattlesnakes; at any one time, there were between six to fifty snakes on the set.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting and filming
2.3 Special effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Jared Chirp, while attempting to flee his home in Blessing, Tennessee, is attacked by rattlesnakes inside his car and killed. Federal agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), after conferring with the completely ordinary Revered Mackey, go to Reverend Enoch O'Connor's church, Church of God with Signs and Wonders, where Biblical literalism is stressed and snakes are used during his services. As such, O'Connor becomes the prime suspect. Later, a woman named Iris, tells Reverend Mackey that she feels guilty because Jared called her on the night he died in order to talk to his girlfriend, Gracie. Iris, however, refused because Gracie was in bed. Later that night, Iris is bitten when her staple remover turns into a snake; she promptly goes into the bathroom to clean up but is killed when snakes appear everywhere in the bathroom.
Gracie is questioned by Mulder and Scully about O'Connor because she is a former member of his church. The two agents discover that she is, in fact, O'Connor's daughter and was kicked out of his congregation and home when she became pregnant. The agents go back to O'Connor's church and Scully is attacked by O'Connor, who attempts to stick her head in a box of snakes. He is promptly arrested. Later, while in his cell, he is attacked by snakes in his cell, but is not killed. O'Connor later wakes up in the hospital and is visited by Gracie. O'Connor then takes Gracie and leaves the hospital. Reverend Mackey tells Mulder and Scully that Enoch O'Connor is the father of Gracie's child.
Meanwhile, O'Connor takes Gracie back to his church and baptizes her. Suddenly, she goes into labor and gives birth to live snakes. O'Connor goes to Mackey's church and attempts to kill him, but Mulder intervenes and saves Mackey. In the ambulance, Gracie tells Scully that Mackey was the real murderer, and the father of Gracie's baby. He killed everyone to keep the fact that he was the father a secret and in order to destroy O'Connor. Back at the church, Mulder realizes O'Connor was innocent all along, but Mackey summons snakes who promptly attack Mulder. Luckily, Scully is able to break down the door and save Mulder. Mackey, unfortunately, disappears to Connecticut, changes his name to Reverend Wells, and starts another church. The episode ends with a snake coming out of Mackey's mouth and eating a mouse.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The episode used anywhere from six to fifty live rattlesnakes at one time.
"Signs and Wonders" was written by The X-Files staff writer Jeffrey Bell. Bell had long desired to write a "down-and-dirty" horror story for the series. In addition, he had informally studied the practice of snake handling, concluding that "anything involving snakes would be scary and I saw the church stuff as something that would be really fascinating."[2] However, unlike most stories featuring the radical religious, the theme of the episode was that in certain circumstances, "intolerance can be good", according to executive producer Frank Spotnitz.[3]
Bell "wanted the snake church people to end up being the good guys."[2] However, the trick would be to disguise the real bad guys in plain sight. According to Bell, "The way the shows usually work out, Mulder is the one to figure out who the bad guys are. So I went into the story meeting with the idea of having Mulder being wrong. Because Mulder believes so strong it's the other guy, it helped hide the true identity of the bad guy from the audience."[2]
During the snake handling scene at the Church of God with Signs and Wonders, the song being sung by the congregation is called "May Glory Protect Us". The song was written by executive producer Paul Rabwin, who was heavily involved in the episode's music production. Rabwin later noted, "I auditioned a bunch of gospel songs [to episode director Kim Manners]. I told him I could write one that was better and he told me to go for it. And I did. […] Kim loved it. […] It was a great tribute that he was able to ask me and accept my opinion on it."[4]
Casting and filming[edit]
The casting for "Signs & Wonders" was "rather unorthodox". In order to prevent ophidiophobia from hitting the actors on the day of filming, live rattlesnakes were brought in during the casting sessions. Strangely enough, many of the actors were "thrilled" about holding the snakes, according to Kim Manners. He later noted that "the funny thing was that the actors couldn't wait to hold the rattlesnakes […] but we were still nervous."[2] In addition, Michael Childers, who portrayed Reverend O'Connor, was actually the son of a real life snake preacher. Manners later noted that "he had gone to church as a child and handled snakes."[5]
A series of safety meetings were scheduled in order to prevent accidents on the set. One of the items on the agenda was finding the closest hospital to the set, according to make-up effects coordinator John Vulich. Furthermore, several of the cast and crew members had a fear of snakes, including Manners, David Duchovny, and John Shiban. During one of the days that the show was being prepped, a snake wrangler brought several live rattlesnakes to the set, but one escaped.[2] It was eventually found behind Manners' desk. In order to prevent future accidents, the mouths of the snakes were sutured shut.[2][3]
Special effects[edit]
At any one time, there were between six to fifty snakes on the set. During the scene where Mulder is attacked, fifteen live snakes were used. However, Duchovny was "not within blocks" of the shot and a stunt double was used. Several faux-body parts were used to simulate snake bites. One of the fake arms, which was used for Mulder, was recycled from the sixth season episode "Dreamland". A false stomach was created for Tracy Middendorf, who portrayed Gracie, to give the illusion that live snakes were wriggling inside of her.[3]
At one point in the episode, Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, a famous painting by Italian Early Renaissance artist Masaccio appears in the background.[6] Because the painting contains nudity, Fox's network executives took issue with the scene, forcing the show to edit out the genitalia on the painting.[6] Paul Rabwin later noted that "the network executive censors didn't feel it was appropriate for us to show all the details [...] course, they could see people giving birth to hundreds of snakes, but that's OK."[6] On the seventh season DVD special features, the painting is erroneously attributed to the famed Michelangelo.[6]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Signs and Wonders" first aired in the United States on January 23, 2000.[7] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.5, with a 12 share, meaning that roughly 8.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 12 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] It was viewed by 13.86 million viewers.[8] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on April 30, 2000 and received 0.61 million viewers, making it the eighth most watched episode that week.[9]
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote a very positive review of the episode, writing, "'Signs and Wonders' is a clever episode whose serpentine plot twists will leave many viewers genuinely surprised. Although a bit overly reliant on the alleged shock value of snakes, the episode establishes, more firmly than any before it, the demonic nature of some of the powers at work in The X-Files."[10] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 5 out of 5 stars and called the episode, "one of the scariest episodes of season 7" before noting that the episode "really creeped me out."[11] However, other reviews were more mixed. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated it two-and-a-half stars out of five. The two noted that, despite several very "cool" images—such as Gracie birthing snakes and a man oozing reptile venom—the episode "doesn't really seem to stand for anything."[12] Shearman and Pearson further criticized putting "religion in the crosshair" and concluded that the episode was "just your everyday sliver of supernatural hokum."[12]
Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[13] Vitaris criticized the polarization of religion viewed in the episode, noting that "although 'Signs and Wonder's purports to be an examination of different modes of faith, it offers a pessimistic—and distorted view of religion."[13] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a mixed review, writing "I have always been the type of person who admires the creative attempt, even if the attempt isn't a complete success. […] This is precisely the mindset I'm feeling after watching 'Signs and Wonders'. I admire the attempt to spook me, to offer up conflicting views of religion and righteousness, even if I'm not completely sure what the point of it all was."[14] Nevertheless, Kessenich praised the snake attack scenes and the episode's occasional quips of humor.[14] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "C+".[15] Despite writing that the snake attack scenes were "surprisingly horrifying" and that the episode contained "plenty [of elements] to recommend", he was critical about the lack of explanation behind Mackey.[15] Although he had a positive opinion of the first 30 minutes, he wrote that the "last 10 minutes just sink everything good the episode has going, and in a way that hurts everything that came before."[15]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 107–116
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 116
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Shapiro, p. 117
4.Jump up ^ Fraga, p. 98
5.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 177
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d Paul Rabwin (2000). Cleaning Up Michelangelo's Act (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
9.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e May 8–14, 2000", listed under Sky 1
10.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (30 June 2000). "The X-Files – 'Signs and Wonders'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 214
13.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Kessenich, p. 107
15.^ Jump up to: a b c VanDerWerff, Todd (January 5, 2013). "'Signs & Wonders'/'Sein Und Zeit' | The X-Files/Millennium". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
BibliographyFraga, Erica (2010). LAX-Files: Behind the Scenes with the Los Angeles Cast and Crew. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781451503418.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Signs and Wonders" at the Internet Movie Database
"Signs and Wonders" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
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Sein und Zeit (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Sein und Zeit"
The X-Files episode
A ransom note is being written in red pen.
The ransom note being written through a psychic connection
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 10
Directed by
Michael Watkins
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
7ABX10
Original air date
February 6, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Megan Corletto as Amber Lynn LaPierre
Shareen Mitchell as Billie LaPierre
Mark Rolston as Bud LaPierre
Spencer Garret as Harry Bring
Rebecca Toolan as Mrs. Mulder
Martin Grey as Agent Flagler
Kim Darby as Kethy Lee Tencate
Randall Bosley as Ed Truelove
Marie Chambers as Guard
John Harnagel as World-Weary Dad
Dylan St. Jepovic as Dean Tencate
Nancy Tiballi as News Anchor #1
John Bisom as News Anchor #2
Nick Lashaway as Young Mulder
Ashlynn Rose as Young Samantha[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Signs and Wonders" Next →
"Closure"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Sein und Zeit" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 6, 2000 in the United States. The episode was written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Michael Watkins. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "Sein und Zeit" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.4, being watched by 13.95 million people in its initial broadcast. It 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 becomes obsessed with a number of children who have vanished while investigating the bizarre disappearance of a young girl from her home. In the meanwhile, Scully fears that he is emotionally involved due to his sister's disappearance 27 years earlier are heightened when Mulder's mother dies, apparently of suicide.
"Sein und Zeit" was written as the first part of a two-part arc that would eventually reveal what had happened to Samantha Mulder. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz later noted that the episode bore stylistic similarities to the fourth season episode "Paper Hearts". Several production issues plagued the episode, including the arrest of one crew member who was accused of possible kidnap, and the lack of money needed for the faux news cast scene at the end of the episode. The episode's title, Sein und Zeit, is a reference to Martin Heidegger's best known work and means "Being and Time" in German.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Production issues
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) asks to be a part of the investigation looking for a little girl, Amber Lynn LaPierre, who disappeared from her home. Mulder's superior, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), initially denies his request, noting that the investigation is not an X-file, but simply a missing persons case. Mulder, however, convinces Skinner to allow him to investigate. The parents of Amber, Billie and Bud, tell Mulder that they found a note in the girl's bedroom, but the teaser for the episode revealed that the note was written by Billie herself. The notes contains a mention of Santa Claus, which everyone finds out of place. Although the family is held for questioning, Mulder does not believe they did it. Looking through previous cases, Mulder finds a similar note, with a reference to Santa Claus, from a missing person case in Idaho from 1987. In the case, the mother was convicted and sentenced to twelve years. The files notes that she had a vision of her son dead before he disappeared, as did Bud on the night his daughter disappeared.
Meanwhile, Mulder's mother Teena is found dead in her home. It is found she overdosed on sleeping pills after she burned all her pictures of Samantha and placed tape around her baseboards and turned the gas in the oven on. Mulder believes she was murdered and has Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) do an autopsy. Later, Mulder visits the mother who was convicted twelve years prior. She tells him that Samantha is a walk-in, a kind spirit who takes children so that they may be shielded from potential harm in their life. The mother tells Mulder that the children are safe, but she has no idea where they are. After hearing this, Mulder believes his mother probably also wrote a note after his sister's disappearance. He begins to think that the alien abduction never happened, and that his mother figured this out, which is why she was murdered. However, after performing the autopsy, Scully tells Mulder that it was definitely suicide, because she was ill with Paget's carcinoma.
During the happenings of the episode, a man playing Santa at a Christmas themed ranch is shown videotaping the children at his ranch. Billie later tells Mulder that she saw a vision of her daughter in her room and she said the number 74. Mulder decides he cannot finish the case and wants to take time off because he's too close to make any sound judgment. On their way to the airport, Scully comes across the Santa park (situated off of California State Route 74) and decides to stop because of the reference to Santa Claus in the notes. Here they find the videotape setup and tapes dating all the way back to the '60s, including one of Amber Lynn LaPierre. The man who runs the park is promptly arrested and Mulder finds graves of children all over his ranch.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
Although both the season four episode "Paper Hearts" and the season five episode "Redux II" had dealt with possible explanations for Samantha Mulder's fate, the issue had yet to be resolved when the series moved into its seventh season. Realizing that the season potentially could be the last, series creator Chris Carter decided to conclude the Samantha story-arc. "The expectation was that if this were going to be the final season, that the finale would be about Mulder's sister. We wanted to deal with that sooner rather than later. We wanted to wrap up Mulder's emotion story with his sister and do it in such a way that would emphasize [David Duchovny's] dramatic abilities."[2]
Executive producer Frank Spotnitz noted that the episode bore stylistic similarities to "Paper Hearts". However, unlike the episode, "Sein und Zeit", and its second part "Closure", sets out to actually answer the question of Samantha's disappearance. Spotnitz later explained, "it's similar […] in the sense that what you always thought happened to Samantha may not have actually happened. 'Paper Hearts' never ultimately answers the question. We've had people come up to us and say, 'Okay, so we know she's really dead, so what happened?' So we decided in this one to answer the question." The episode's title, Sein und Zeit, is a reference to Martin Heidegger's best known work and means "Being and Time" in German.[2]
Production issues[edit]
Several incidents hindered the production of the episode. The prop department for The X-Files initially made a fake ransom note for the scene wherein Mrs. LaPierre automatically writes the kidnappers message. A crew member for the show later took the note, along with a folder of other documents to one of the filming locations. Before arriving at the location, he stopped to make a phone call from a pay phone. A person, however, was watching him from their house and, being suspicious, called the police. Unfortunately for the crew member, he left the folder and note, which included the line "Don't do anything or we'll kill your baby" at the booth. When the individual went back to retrieve the note, he was promptly arrested. Director Kim Manners later called the situation a "mess".[2]
The second major event that hindered production involved lack of money needed for the final scene. Near the end of the filming, producer Paul Rabwin discovered that there was no money left for a small but necessary sequence created to mimic an actual TV news anchor giving a report. Rather than request extra funds, Rabwin located an Australian TV correspondent based out of Los Angeles and asked him to "donate" the needed news report for a chance to be on The X-Files. The individual was more than happy to comply. According to Rabwin, "we went to his studio setup, inserted a visual of a busy newsroom behind the correspondent, added some pictures of the kidnapped children, and we had our scene."[2]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Sein und Zeit" first aired in the United States on February 6, 2000.[3] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.4, with a 12 share, meaning that roughly 8.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 12 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[4] It was viewed by 13.95 million viewers.[4] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 21, 2000 and received 0.83 million viewers, making it the sixth most watched episode that week.[5] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "They go to bed. And they're gone forever."[6] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth.[7]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A–" and called it a "very, very good piece of television".[8] He was particularly pleased with the grimness of the story; he noted that it was largely about the way in which Mulder's "belief system [is] eradicated before his very eyes" after the suicide of his mom. VanDerWerff was also pleased with Duchovny's performance, writing that he "brings the intense mania to Mulder that has always made the character work at his best."[8] Despite this, he was slightly critical of the concept of the "walk-ins", which he called "patently ridiculous".[8] Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that while "Chris Carter penned this episode, [and] his attempts at clarifying his own confounded mythology are often even more confusing than revelatory, 'Sein Und Zeit' is a tense installment, and leads neatly to the supposed wrap-up in the second half. "[9] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review, writing "'Sein Und Zeit' not only served as a reminder of Fox Mulder's ongoing pain it provided yet another clue that, although its journey is nearing its completion, The X-Files still knows how to make the ride an enjoyable one."[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 five stars out of five. The two called the episode "a welcome return to an X-Files we haven't seen for awhile—hard, passionate, and with an urgent story to tell. From where I'm sitting, in the middle of a lacklustre season, it smells strongly of a masterpiece."[11]
Other reviews were less complimentary. Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[12] Vitaris wrote, "there are some powerful and touching moments in 'Sein und Zeit', but others that miss the mark so widely that it hurts to think what this episode might have been."[12] Kenneth Silber from Space.com, although complimentary towards the focus on Samantha Mulder, was critical of the slowness of the episode, writing, "While the series' reversion to its central theme is much appreciated, this episode unfolds with an unfortunate slowness that does little to satisfy the seven-year itch many X-Files viewers have come to feel in response to monster-of-the-week episodes and phony-baloney mythology cliffhangers."[13]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 119–128
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 129
3.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
5.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e May 15–21, 2000", listed under Sky 1
6.Jump up ^ Sein und Zeit (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). FOX.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c VanDerWerff, Todd (January 5, 2013). "'Signs & Wonders'/'Sein Und Zeit' | The X-Files/Millennium". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
9.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 111
11.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, p. 215
12.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
13.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (25 August 2000). "The X-Files – 'Sein und Zeit'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
BibliographyKessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Sein und Zeit" at the Internet Movie Database
"Sein und Zeit" at TV.com
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The X-Files episodes
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Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
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"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
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"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
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"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
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2000 television episodes
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Closure (The X-Files)
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"Closure"
The X-Files episode
ClosureXFiles.jpg
Fox Mulder is reunited with Samantha Mulder's spirit. The scene utilized several elaborate filming techniques.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 11
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
7ABX11[1]
Original air date
February 13, 2000
Running time
44 minutes[2]
Guest actors
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Anthony Heald as Harold Piller
Stanley Aderson as Lewis Schoniger
Rebecca Toolan as Teena Mulder
Megan Corletto as Amber Lynn LaPierre
Nicholas Stratton as Ghostly Boy
Mimi Paley as Young Samantha Mulder[3]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Sein und Zeit" Next →
"X-Cops"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Closure" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the 150th episode overall. It was directed by Kim Manners and written by series creator Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. The installment explores the series' overarching mythology and is the conclusion of a two-part episode revolving around the final revelation of what really happened to Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) sister, Samantha. Originally aired by the Fox network on February 13, 2000, "Closure" received a Nielsen rating of 9.1 and was seen by 15.35 million viewers. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics; many felt that the final reveal was emotional and powerful, although some were unhappy with the resolution.
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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work, but the two have developed a deep friendship. In this episode, after Mulder is forced to accept that his mother’s death was by her own hand, he is led by a man whose son disappeared years earlier to another truth: that his sister, Samantha, was among the souls taken by ‘walk-ins’, saving the souls of children doomed to live unhappy lives.
"Closure" was a story milestone for the series, finally revealing Samantha's fate; this story-arc had driven a large part of the series' earlier episodes. The episode was written as a continuation to the previous episode, "Sein und Zeit," but branched off into different territory. Although a majority of the episode was filmed on a soundstage, several scenes were shot on location, such as the scenes at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California. Several of the sequences, specifically those featuring the dead souls of children, required elaborate filming techniques. The episode has been analyzed due to its themes of belief and hope.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Background
1.2 Events
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Filming
3 Themes
4 Reception 4.1 Ratings
4.2 Initial reviews
4.3 Contemporary reviews
5 References 5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Bibliography
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Background[edit]
Main article: Mythology of The X-Files
For the first five seasons of the series, FBI federal agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) sought to gain understanding about the disappearance of Mulder's sister, Samantha, who was abducted when Mulder was 12 years old.[4] In the previous episode, "Sein Und Zeit", Mulder and Scully tracked down a serial killer who targeted children. While investigating the case, Mulder began to get emotionally involved, due to the similarities with his sister's disappearance.[5]
Events[edit]
Mulder and Scully aid the Sacramento Police in the investigation of a brutal murder committed by Truelove, the owner of the Santa Village. As the remains of more children are discovered, he admits killing twenty-four children, but denies murdering Amber. Mulder is approached by psychic Harold Piller, who tells Mulder that he has helped law enforcement across the world, and has proved in various cases that children had been taken by "walk-ins". Piller believes that walk-ins save children who suffer terrible fates.
Scully becomes worried about Piller's influence over Mulder. The agents return to Washington, D.C., where Mulder keeps searching for evidence in the case. Meanwhile, Piller gets another vision of Samantha, leading Mulder to April Air Force Base. Scully finds evidence that Samantha's disappearance is linked to the The Smoking Man (William B. Davis); when she returns to her apartment, she finds him waiting for her. He tells her that he had called off the search for Mulder's sister when she vanished because he knew she was dead.
When Mulder returns to April Air Force Base, he uncovers proof that Samantha lived with the Smoking Man along with his son, Jeffrey Spender, and that she was forced to undergo painful tests. Scully finds a 1979 police report of a girl matching Samantha's description, and learns that she was taken to a hospital emergency room. She and Mulder find the nurse who treated her, and the nurse describes how Samantha disappeared the same way as Amber—without a trace. Mulder later walks through the forest and receives a vision of Samantha along with the spirits of other children. Upon telling Scully and Pillar—who reacts badly upon hearing that his son is dead—of his vision, Mulder accepts that his sister is dead and in a better place. When Scully comforts Mulder and asks if he is all right, he responds with a choked "I'm fine. I'm free."[3]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
"Closure" was written by Frank Spotnitz (left) and Chris Carter (right) to give closure to the Samantha Mulder story-arc.
"Closure," written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, brought an end to Mulder's quest for his sister, Samantha, who had been abducted when he was a child. The idea to close the story arc received mixed reactions from various production and crew members. However, many of the show's producers realized that the time had come to answer one of the show's biggest questions. Spotnitz explained that, "I think [series star, David Duchovny] grew tired of playing the man who is missing his sister. [...] I told him, 'This is going to be the last time you're going to have to play [that part].'"[6] Paul Rabwin noted that, "It's been seven years. I don't think any of us are going to miss Samantha Mulder. That device and motivation were very strong in the early years of the show. But as the years have gone by, the speculation kind of melted away."[6]
"Closure" continued the story of the previous episode "Sein und Zeit" and branched off into different territory. Carter later explained that, "emotionally, it was heavy stuff for everybody, but necessarily so. These episodes involved two very personal cases, the search for a serial killer [in 'Sein und Zeit'] and the search for Mulder's sister [in 'Closure']."[6] Marc Shapiro, in his book All Things: The Office Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 6 noted that, in addition to bringing an end to the Samantha story arc, the episode was "very much a [Smoking Man] episode" in that it explored his involvement in Samantha's abduction and revealed to the audience that he was seriously ill. The episode's tagline was changed from the usual "The Truth is Out There" to "Believe to Understand".[6]
Filming[edit]
Manners noted that "Closure" was one of the first episodes in which the production staff was able to "shoot in Los Angeles with the sun out".[7] According to Manners, the show was struggling with the fact that "we weren't in Vancouver anymore and that our show had suddenly become very bright and cheery".[7] To amend this, Bill Roe, director of photography, used tree branches and "see stands" to block out the sunlight. The first scene with the walk-ins rising up from their grave, shot at Griffith Park above the playground, was "tricky," according to director Kim Manners.[7] Manners felt uncomfortable telling the children to rise out "graves", feeling it could psychologically hurt them, so instead the crew called the holes in the ground "forts."[7] The scenes taking place at April Air Force Base was shot in San Bernardino, California at a closed airfield, the former Norton Air Force Base. On the airbase was a large abandoned house complex of over 400 buildings constructed and used by the United States military. According to Manners, the entire area was "eerie", and many of the houses still had furniture in them.[7] Originally, the producers wanted to name the fictitious air force March Air Force Base. However, the presence of an actual air force base with the same name necessitated a change to April Air Force Base. One of the shots in the April Air Force Base was filmed at a sound stage in Los Angeles. The scene at the restaurant was shot in a location on Sepulveda Boulevard, at a hotel that had been standing there for 30 to 40 years.[7]
During filming, David Duchovny decided to act out the reunion scene in a manner contrary to what the script called for. Manners later noted, "In the script, it called for his sister to run up and hug him, and Mulder was to start crying. David didn't want to cry. I said, 'David, you're finally realizing your sister is, in fact, dead. […] He said, 'Just watch what I do; trust me.' And, he held that little girl actress—there was a beatific smile on his face that was absolutely astounding."[8] Manners was very happy with the change and included it in the final cut of the episode.[8] The create the scene featuring the ghosts of the dead children interacting with the characters, various layers of film ha to be overlaid onto each other. Many passes of the shot were taken, which took hours to completely. After the shots had been secured, the film of the ghosts had to be made transparent. The scenes wherein Mulder is interacting with the walk-ins was actually shot in daylight. However, specialized "day for night" photography was used to make the finished scene look as if it had been filmed at night. To achieve this, the subjects were illuminated with bright lights and the sky was completely avoided. The entire scene was shot at 48 frames a second, almost half of normal speed.[7] Rebecca Toolan was flown down from Vancouver specifically for this episode, and "Sein Und Zeit". To create her ghostly apparition, the production staff had to shoot multiple frames, which were then spliced into footage of Duchovny. Manners played the part of the hypnotist in the video that Mulder watches. Manners later noted that "I only act when you can't actually see my face".[7] Manners was critical of Duchovny's wig—which had been added to make the footage seem older. He sardonically noted that "this is [not] one of the episodes that Cheri Medcalf [the show's make-up director] won an Emmy for."[7]
Composer Mark Snow described his score as possessing a "sense of biblical fervor and religiosity—an elegy—a feeling about it that was so poignant and touching to me."[9] "My Weakness", a song by Moby from his 1999 album Play, is used in this episode, during the first scene when the FBI discover the mass grave and near the end when Mulder encounters his sister's spirit. Carter never told Snow about the decision to use someone else's music, although Snow has since said that his reaction to the use of the song was very positive and that the song was a "perfect" fit for the scenes in which it can be heard.[10] Another Moby song, "The Sky is Broken" also from Play, would be featured in the late seventh season episode "all things".[11]
Themes[edit]
"I want to believe so badly; in a truth beyond our own hidden and obscured from all but the most sensitive eyes. In the endless procession of souls, in what cannot and will not be destroyed. I want to believe we are unaware of God's eternal recompense and sadness. That we cannot see His truth. That that which is born still lives and cannot be buried in the cold earth. But only waits to be born again at God's behest, where in ancient starlight we lay in repose. "
—Fox Mulder. The monologue received attention due to its perceived religious undertones.[12][13]
According to Amy M. Donaldson in her book We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in The X-Files, Mulder's opening monologue may be an example of "Mulder now being more receptive to the possibility of God's intervention".[13] Throughout much of the series, Mulder has shown a disdain for religion. However, in "Closure", Donaldson points out that "Mulder's belief in God, as always, revolves around his beliefs about his sister's fate".[13] As such, Mulder expresses hope that those who die in a cruel fashion "live on in some other way".[13] Furthermore, she argues that because "Closure" opens with the tagline "Believe to understand", Mulder must "take the leap of faith" in order to find find enlightenment, and ultimately the truth about his sister.[14] The first half of the episode plays out according to the tagline; Mulder first believes in "his desire stated in the opening voiceover", and then finds closure.[14]
Donaldson also parallels elements in the episode to the plots of other episodes such as the fourth season entry "Paper Hearts", wherein it is suggested that a serial killer murdered Samantha. In "Paper Hearts", a father of a victim notes that the uncertainty of his daughter's murder allowed those who were involved to "consider the possibilities, both for the best and for the worst".[15] However, once it is revealed that his daughter was murdered, all hope was removed. Conversely, Mulder holds onto the possibility that Samantha is alive through much of the series, but when he realizes that she is indeed dead in "Closure", hope is removed but in its place is found peace. To parallel Mulder's acceptance, Harold Piller refuses to believe his son is dead; as such, he "cling[s] to the possibility [because] uncertainly allows him hope."[15]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
"Closure" first aired in the United States on February 13, 2000.[1] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.1, with a 13 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 9.1 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were watching the episode. It was viewed by 15.35 million viewers in the United States.[16] On May 28, 2000 the episode debuted on Sky 1 in the United Kingdom and gathered 0.68 million viewers, making it the eighth most watched program shown on Sky 1 that week, in front of Angel and The Simpsons.[17] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth.[18]
Initial reviews[edit]
Initial reviews were mixed, with some critics applauding the story's conclusion, and others deriding it. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files, opined that the episode worked best "if some of the previous Samantha-related clues were forgotten", such as when the Alien Bounty Hunter told Mulder that she was still alive in "End Game".[19] Despite this, he wrote that "it was only right that Samantha be dead since Mulder's life had always been defined by what he has lost, not what he has found".[19] He surmised that the episode was not "perfect", but that its "plusses greatly outweighed any missteps along the way". He was also complimentary towards "the ethereal quality of the final few moments", writing that they "lifted this episode up and made it one of the season's most memorable".[19] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was pleased with the episode, and wrote, "'Closure' is a satisfying episode, one that puts to bed the now-tiresome search for Mulder's sister Samantha."[20] Jeremy Conrad from IGN referred to the episode as "excellent" and noted that a large portion of The X-Files mythology ended with the resolution of Samantha's abduction, saying, "['Closure' is] a final, and concrete, answer to the single thing that was driving Mulder for the entire run of the series. In some ways, when he got that answer a major part of The X-Files story ended."[21]
Not all reviews were positive. Paula Vitaris from CFQ gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four.[22] She wrote, "Instead of a grand, breath-taking, heart-breaking finale that should be the climax of Mulder's search for Samantha, the story expires limply with some nonsense about Samantha being of the starlight children."[22] Bobby Bryant and Tracy Burlison of The State named the episode the "Worst Conspiracy" episode.[23] The two noted that because "a tenet of The X-Files was that Mulder's sister, Samantha, had been (a) kidnapped by aliens or (b) kidnapped by government conspirators", the fact that she had actually been turned into a spirit "insanely offers a supernatural explanation to a science-fiction mystery".[23]
Contemporary reviews[edit]
Contemporary reviews, however, have seen "Closure" in a much more positive light, with many critics praising its ending. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A–".[24] He argued that the episode worked due to two scenes: the sequence in which Mulder reads aloud from Samantha's diary, and the final shot of Mulder being reunited with his sister. He wrote that the "stark simplicity" of the former made it emotionally power, and that the latter was "a bit sappy, a bit surreal, a bit lovely" but nonetheless "a beautiful moment".[24] Meghan Deans of Tor.com felt that the story was "silly", but that, when paired with the idea that Samantha was truly an innocent victim, successfully becomes a "comfort".[25] She called it a move that "the show must give Mulder, and us, in order to shut down this storyline for good."[25] 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, and called it "brave".[26] The two noted that while some of the sentimentality is pushed too far—such as when Mulder finds his sister's diary speaking to him, or when Mulder talks about all lost souls being stars—the "critical moment" featuring Mulder reuniting with his sisters spirit is "extraordinarily moving".[26]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), pp. 130–139.
4.Jump up ^ Kowalski (2009), pp. 243–246.
5.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), pp. 119–128
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro (2000), p. 139.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Manners, Kim (2000). Audio Commentary for "Closure" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 177.
9.Jump up ^ Fraga (2011), p. 124
10.Jump up ^ "ScoreKeeper With Composer Mark Snow About The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Creation Of The Series' Theme, And Much More!!". Ain't It Cool. June 24, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
11.Jump up ^ Anderson, 2:07–2:35.
12.Jump up ^ Bush, p. 140.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d Donaldson (2011), p. 44–45.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Donaldson (2011), p. 60–61.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Donaldson (2011), p. 68–69.
16.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), p. 281.
17.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved January 1, 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e May 15–21, 1999", listed under Sky 1
18.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). FOX.
19.^ Jump up to: a b c Kessenich (2002), pp. 111–113.
20.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (September 1, 2000). "The X-Files – 'Closure'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
21.Jump up ^ Conrad, Jeremy (May 13, 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
22.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". CFQ 32 (3): 18–37.
23.^ Jump up to: a b Bryant, Bobby; Burlison, Tracy (May 19, 2002). "File Under 'Ex'". The State (The McClatchy Company). p. E1. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
24.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (January 12, 2013). "'Closure'/'X-Cops' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
25.^ Jump up to: a b Deans, Meghan (January 13, 2013). "Reopening the X-Files: 'Sein Und Zeit'/'Closure'". Tor.com. Tor Books. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2009), p. 216—217
Bibliography[edit]
Anderson, Gillian (2005), "all things": Commentary, The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Donaldson, Amy (2011). We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in the X-Files. Cascade Books. ISBN 9781606083611.
Fraga, Erica (2010). LAX-Files: Behind the Scenes with the Los Angeles Cast and Crew. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781451503418.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 9781933784724.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
Kowalski, Dean, ed. (2007). The Philosophy of The X-Files. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813124549.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
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 7
"Closure" at the Internet Movie Database
"Closure" at TV.com
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X-Cops (The X-Files)
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"X-Cops"
The X-Files episode
A man in a sheriff's uniform is talking to a man with black hair dressed in brown jacket. The film quality is deliberately low-quality.
Fox Mulder talking to Deputy Wetzel about the monster. The episode was filmed in the same style as the reality television series Cops.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 12
Directed by
Michael Watkins
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
7ABX12[1]
Original air date
February 20, 2000
Running time
44 minutes[2]
Guest actors
Judson Mills as Deputy Keith Wetzel
Perla Walter as Mrs. Guerrero
Dee Freeman as Sergeant Paula Duthie
Lombardo Boyar as Deputy Juan Molina
Solomon Eversol as Ricky
J. W. Smith as Steve
Curtis C. as Edy
Maria Celedonio as Chantara Gomez
Frankie Ray as Crackhead
Tara Karsian as Coroner's Assistant
Daniel Emmett as Cameraman
John Michael Vaughn as Soundman[3]
Episode chronology
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"First Person Shooter"
List of The X-Files episodes
"X-Cops" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. Directed by Michael Watkins and written by Vince Gilligan, the installment serves as a "Monster-of-the-Week" story—a stand-alone plot unconnected to the overarching mythology of The X-Files. Originally aired in the United States by the Fox network on February 20, 2000, "X-Cops" received a Nielsen rating of 9.7 and was seen by 16.56 million viewers. The episode earned positive reviews from critics, largely due to its unique presentation, as well as its use of humor. Since its airing, the episode has been named among the best episodes of The X-Files by several reviewers.
The X-Files centers on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Mulder and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal; the skeptical Scully was initially assigned to debunk his work, but the two have developed a deep friendship. In this episode, Mulder and Scully are interviewed for the Fox reality television program Cops during an X-Files investigation. Mulder, hunting what he believes to be a werewolf, discovers that the monster terrorizing people instead feeds on fear. While Mulder embraces the publicity of Cops, Scully is more uncomfortable about appearing on national television.
"X-Cops" serves as a fictional crossover with Cops and is one of only two X-Files episodes to be shot in real time, in which events are presented at the same rate that the audience experiences them. Gilligan, who was inspired to write the script because of his enjoyment of Cops, pitched the idea several times to series creator Chris Carter and the series writing staff, receiving a mixed reception; when the crew felt that the show was nearing its end with the conclusion of the seventh season, Gilligan was given the green light because it was seen as an experiment. In the tradition of the real-life Cops program, the entire episode was shot on videotape and featured several members of the cast and crew of Cops. The episode has been thematically analyzed for its use of postmodernism and its presentation as reality television.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Conception and writing
2.2 Filming and post-production
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 References 5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Bibliography
6 External links
Plot[edit]
The episode begins with the standard opening credit sequence of the reality television program Cops and its theme song "Bad Boys". Keith Wetzel (Judson Mills), a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, is accompanied by a Cops film crew at Willow Park, California, a fictional district of Los Angeles. Wetzel visits the home of Mrs. Guererro (Perla Walter), who has reported a monster in the neighborhood. Wetzel, expecting to find a dog, follows the creature around a corner but runs back screaming for the crew to flee. They return to Wetzel's police car, but before they can escape, it is overturned by an unseen entity.
When backup arrives on the scene, an injured Wetzel claims that he encountered gang members. The police soon discover and surround Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), believing them to be criminals, before they realize that the pair are FBI agents. Mulder and Scully claim that they are investigating an alleged werewolf that killed a man in the area during the last full moon. According to Mulder, the entity that they are tracking only comes out at night. Scully is irritated by the constant presence of the Cops crew, but Mulder is enthused at the prospect of paranormal proof being presented to a national television audience. The agents and the police interview Mrs. Guerrero, who describes the monster to Ricky (Solomon Eversol), a sketch artist. To Mulder's surprise, Mrs. Guerrero describes not a werewolf, but the horror movie villain Freddy Krueger. Ricky expresses a fear of being alone in the dangerous neighborhood, and is found a short time later with serious slashes in his chest. Mulder and Scully find a pink fingernail at the scene. The group also meets Steve and Edy (J. W. Smith and Curtis C.), a gay couple who witnessed the incident but did not see Ricky's attacker, saying that it appeared he was being attacked by nothing. Wetzel identifies the fingernail as belonging to Chantara Gomez (Maria Celedonio), a prostitute.
When the agents track down Chantara, whose face is pixelated, she claims that her pimp attacked Ricky and fears that he will kill her. She pleads with the agents for protection. Mulder and Scully have Wetzel guard Chantara while they assist the police in the raid of a crack house. However, the two are drawn back outside when Wetzel encounters the entity, wildly shooting at it. Inside a police car, the agents find Chantara with her neck broken. When Mulder questions Wetzel, he admits that he thought he saw the "wasp man", a monster his older brother told him about when he was a kid. Mulder formulates a theory that the entity changes its form to correspond with its victims' worst fears. Wetzel, Ricky, and Chantara all expressed fear shortly before their run-ins with the entity; it was visible to them, but not to others. The agents think that Steve and Edy may be the entity's next target because they were in the vicinity of Ricky's attack. They head to their house, only to find the couple in the middle of an argument. After Edy expresses fear of a separation from Steve, the couple reconciles. Based on this situation, Mulder proposes that the entity ignored Steve and Edy because they did not exhibit mortal fear.
Mulder believes that the entity travels from victim to victim like a contagion. At his request, Scully performs an autopsy on Chantara's body at the morgue. During the procedure, a conversation between Scully and the coroner's assistant (Tara Karsian) causes the latter to panic about a Hantavirus outbreak. The entity suddenly kills her with the disease. When Mulder discusses the death with Scully, he realizes that Wetzel is in danger of being revisited by the entity. The agents and police return to the crack house, where the entity has trapped an injured Wetzel in an upstairs room. The agents are unable to enter the room until dawn comes, when the entity disappears and spares Wetzel's life. After the incident is over, Scully expresses her sympathies to Mulder that being filmed by a national television crew did not provide the public exposure to paranormal phenomena that he had hoped. However, Mulder remains hopeful, noting that it all comes down to how the production crew edits the footage together.[3]
Production[edit]
Conception and writing[edit]
A man with white hair is looking and smiling at the camera.
The concept of the episode was approved by series creator Chris Carter in the show's seventh season, after it had been vetoed several times before.
Vince Gilligan, who wrote the episode, was inspired by Cops, which he describes as a "great slice of Americana."[4] Gilligan first pitched the idea to the X-Files writing staff and to series creator Chris Carter during the show's fourth season.[5] Carter was concerned that the concept was too "goofy".[6] Fellow writer and producer Frank Spotnitz concurred; however, he was more uncomfortable with Gilligan's idea of using videotape instead of film to shoot the episode. The show's production crew liked to use film to create "effective scares",[4] and Spotnitz worried that shooting exclusively on videotape would be too challenging as the series would be unable to cut and edit the final product.[4] However, during the show's seventh season, Carter relented. Many critics and fans believed, erroneously, that the seventh season of The X-Files would be the show's last.[7] Similarly, Carter felt that the show had nearly run its course.[8] Seeing the potential in Gilligan's idea, he decided to green-light the episode.[4] Gilligan noted that "the longer we've been on the air, the more chances we've taken. We try to keep the show fresh ... I think [Carter] appreciates that".[5] "X-Cops" was not Gilligan's first attempt at writing a cross-over. Almost three years before, he had been working on a script that would involve a story being presented by Robert Stack of Unsolved Mysteries, with unknown actors playing Mulder and Scully. This script was later aborted, and re-written as the fifth season episode "Bad Blood".[9]
Gilligan reasoned that, because Mulder and Scully would appear on a nationally syndicated television series, the episode's main monster could not be shown, only "hinted at".[5] Gilligan and the writing staff applied methods previously used in the 1999 psychological horror film The Blair Witch Project to show as little of the monster as possible while still making the episode scary.[5] Michael Watkins, who directed the episode, had a good rapport with the Los Angeles police department. As such, he secured real Sheriff's deputies as extras. Casting director Rick Milikan later explained that the group needed "actors who could pull off the believability in just normal off-the-cuff conversation of cops on the job."[4] During the crack house scene, real SWAT team members were hired to break down the doors.[10] Actor Judson Mills later explained that, because there were few cameramen and owing to the manner in which the episode was filmed, "people just behaved as if we were [real] cops. I had other cops waving and giving their signals or heads-up the way they do amongst themselves. It was quite funny".[5]
Filming and post-production[edit]
What was surprising to all of us was how little time it took to shoot. We basically did one or two takes of something and that was it.
—Gillian Anderson, discussing the filming of "X-Cops"[10]
"X-Cops" was filmed in Venice and Long Beach, California. When members of The X-Files staff asked Cops producer John Langley about a potential cross-over, the cast and crew of Cops liked the idea and offered their complete cooperation.[4][5] Gilligan was even invited to the shooting of an episode. Inspired by Cops, Watkin's directing style was unique for this episode. Watkins filmed some of the scenes himself, in addition to the shots caught by the usual camera operators of The X-Files. However, he also brought in Bertram van Munster, a cameraman for Cops, to shoot scenes to give the finished product an authentic feel.[6] In an attempt at realism, camera and sound men from Cops participated in the production: Daniel Emmet and John Michael Vaughn, two Cops crew members, were featured during the episode's climax. During rehearsals, Watkins kept the cameras away from the set, so that when filming commenced, the cameramen's unfamiliarity would create the "unscripted" reality feel of a documentary. In addition, a Cops editor was brought in to insert the blur over the faces of bystanders.[4]
The episode was one of two X-Files episodes to take place in real time—wherein events are presented at the same rate that the audience experiences them—the other being the sixth season episode "Triangle".[5][11] Due to the nature of the shooting schedule, the episode was relatively cheap to film and production moved at a quick pace. Initially, the actors struggled with the new cinéma vérité style of the episode, and several takes were needed for scenes during the first few days, but these problems receded as filming progressed. On one night, three-and-a-half pages of script were shot in only two hours; the normal rate for The X-Files was three to four pages a day.[10] Both Watkins and Mills likened the filming of the episode to live theater. The former noted, "In a sense we were doing theater: we were doing an act, or half of a whole act in one take."[5] Anderson called the performance "fun" to shoot, and highlighted "Scully getting pissed off at the camera crew" as her favorite part to play.[6] She further noted that "it was interesting to make the adjustment to playing something more real than you might play for television."[6]
Although filmed to create the illusion that events occurred in real time, the episode employed several camera tricks and effects. For the opening shot, a "surreptitious cut" helped to replace actor Judson Mills with a stunt person when the cop car is overturned by the monster.[5] Usually, an episode of the series required 800 to 1200 film cuts, but "X-Cops" only required 45.[10] During post-production, a minor argument broke out between Vince Gilligan and the network. Originally, Gilligan did not want the X-Files logo to appear at any time during the episode. He stressed that he wanted "X-Cops" to feel like an "episode of Cops that happened to involve Mulder and Scully."[10] The network, fearing that people would not understand that "X-Cops" was actually an episode of The X-Files, vetoed this idea. A compromise was reached wherein the episode would open with the Cops theme song, but the normal X-Files credits would scroll after an opening scene. In addition, the commercial bumpers would feature red and blue lights flashing across The X-Files logo while dialogue is heard in the background, in a similar fashion to the Cops logo.[10] The episode also features a disclaimer at the beginning informing viewers that the episode is a special installment of The X-Files to prevent watchers from thinking that the show "has been preempted this week by Cops".[6]
Themes[edit]
Several critics, such as M. Keith Booker, have argued that "X-Cops" is an example of The X-Files delving into the postmodern school of thought.[12] Postmodernism has been described as a "style and concept in the arts [that] is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions [and the] mixing of different artistic styles and media".[13] According to Booker, the episode helps to "identify the series as postmodern [due to its] cumulative summary of modern American culture", or, in this case, the show's merging with another popular television series.[12] The episode also serves as an example of the series' "self-consciousness in terms of its status as a (fictional) television" show.[14] M. Keith Booker, in the book Strange TV, notes that "allu[sion] to films and works of literature" present in "X-Cops" suggests "its role as a kind of cumulative summary of modern American culture".[12]
According to Jeremy Butler in the book Television Style, the episode, along with many other found footage-type movies and shows, helps to suggest that what is being promoted as "live TV", is actually a series of events that have already unfolded in the past.[15] Furthermore, while the episode is written and performed in a self-reflexive and humorous tone, the real-time aspects of "X-Cops" "heighten[s]s the sense of realism within the episode", and makes the result come across as hyper-realistic.[16] This sense of realism is further heightened by the near lack of music in the episode; aside from the theme song, Mark Snow's soundtrack is not to be heard.[17]
Sarah Stegall proposed that the episode works on two separate layers. On the top-most superficial layer, it functions as an outright parody, mimicking both the stylings of The X-Files as well as Cops. However, on the other layer, she notes that "it's a serious look at validation."[18] Throughout the episode, Mulder is attempting to capture the monster on camera and expose it to a national audience. However, all of the witnesses to monster function as unreliable narrators: a Hispanic woman with "a history of medications", a homosexual "Drama Queen", a prostitute, a "terrified morgue attendant, and Deputy Wetzel.[18] Stegall argues that all of these characters are from "the wrong side of the tracks" and would not be accepted, let alone believed, by "a placid, middle-class society".[18] In the end, the only reliable witness is the camera, but Stegall points out that "the camera, suspiciously, never quite manages to find [the monster]."[18] Furthermore, she reasons that Mulder's biggest fear is not finding the monster. To back this idea up, she points out that Mulder not only fails to find what he is looking for, but he also fails before a live audience.[18]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"X-Cops" was first broadcast in the United States on the Fox network on February 20, 2000.[1] Watched by 16.56 million viewers, according to the Nielsen ratings system, it was the second-highest rated episode of the season, after "The Sixth Extinction". It received a Nielsen rating of 9.7, with a 14 share among viewers, meaning that 9.7 percent of all households in the United States, and 14 percent of people watching television at that time, tuned into the episode.[19] It originally aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on June 4, 2000, receiving 850,000 viewers, making it the channel's third-most watched program for that week.[20] On May 13, 2003,"X-Cops" was released on DVD as part of the complete seventh-season box set.[21]
A man with black glasses and a black mustache and beard is smiling at the camera. He is wearing a black shirt.
"X-Cops", written by Vince Gilligan, received praise from critics, largely due to its unique format as well as its use of humor.
Initial critical reaction to the episode was generally positive, although a few reviewers felt that the episode was a gimmick. Eric Mink of the Daily News described it as "nifty" and "exceptionally clever."[7] While noting that "The X-Files hasn't exactly smoked this season", Kinney Littlefield from The Orange County Register called "X-Cops" a stand-out episode from the seventh season.[22] Stegall praised the episode and likened the episode's monster to the Boggart from the Harry Potter series. Stegall wrote of Vince Gilligan: "top honors must go to Vince Gilligan, whose work on The X-Files is consistently the sharpest and most consistent."[18] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review. He called the entry "one of the most entertaining episodes of the season" and "60 minutes of pure fun".[23] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "some might view it as a stunt, but having Mulder and Scully be part of a spot-on Cops! parody (complete with full "Bad Boys, bad boys" intro) is just brilliant stuff".[24] Not all reviews were positive. Kenneth Silber from Space.com gave the episode a negative review and wrote, "'X-Cops' is a wearisome episode. Watching the agents and police repeatedly run through the darkened streets of Los Angeles after an unseen—and uninteresting—foe evokes merely a sense of futility. The use of the format of the Fox TV show Cops provides some transient novelty but little drama or humor."[25]
Contemporary reviews have praised the episode as one of the show's best installments. 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.[26] The two wrote that the episode was "funny, it's clever, and it's actually quite frightening".[26] Shearman and Pearson also wrote positively of the faux documentary style, likening it to The Blair Witch Project.[26] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A–" and called it "witty, inventive, and intermittently spooky".[27] He argued that the episode was a late-series "gimmick episode" and compared it the last few seasons of House; although he reasoned House relied on gimmicks to prop itself up, "X-Cops" is "the work of a creative team which may be running out of ideas, but still has enough gas in the tank to get us where we need to go."[27] Furthermore, Handlen felt that the show used the Cops format to the best of its ability, and that many of the scenes were humorous, startling, or a combination of both.[27]
Since its airing, "X-Cops" has appeared on several best-of lists. Montreal's The Gazette named it the eighth best X-Files episode, writing that it "pushed the show to new post-modern heights."[28] Rob Bricken from Topless Robot named it the fifth funniest X-Files episode,[29] and Starpulse described it as the funniest X-Files episode, writing that when the series "did comedy, it was probably the funniest drama ever on television".[30] UGO named the episode's main antagonist as one of the greatest "Top 11 X-Files Monsters," noting that the creature is a "perfect [Monster-of-the-Week] if only because the monster in question is a living, breathing metaphor, a never-seen specter that shifts to fit the fears of the person witnessing it."[31] Narin Bahar from SFX named the episode one of the "Best Sci-Fi TV Mockumentaries" and wrote, "Whether you see this as a brilliantly post-modern merging of fact and fiction or shameless cross-promotion of two of the Fox Network's biggest TV shows, there's lots of nods to the real Cops show in this episode".[32] Bahar praised the scene featuring the terrified lady telling Mulder that Freddy Krueger attacked her—calling the scene the "best in-joke"—and applauded the two series' cohesion.[32]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000) pp. 141–152.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Shapiro (2000) p. 152.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Persons, Dan (October 2000). "The X-Files: The Making of 'X-Cops'". CFQ 32 (3): 28–29.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 179.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Mink, Eric (February 12, 2000). "'X Files' Boldy Goes Thru 7th Season". Daily News (Mortimer Zuckerman). Archived from the original on February 18, 2000. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
8.Jump up ^ Pergament, Alan. (January 18, 1999) Chris Carter Feels 'X-Files' Will End By Spring of 2000. The Buffalo News (Berkshire Hathaway). August 6, 2009.
9.Jump up ^ Meisler (1999) p. 170.
10.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro (2000), p. 153.
11.Jump up ^ Carter, Chris (1999). The Truth About Season Six (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Sixth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Booker (2002), p. 125.
13.Jump up ^ "Definition of postmodernism". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Leslie-McCarthy (2007), p. 146.
15.Jump up ^ Butler (2012), p. 150.
16.Jump up ^ Friedman (2002), p. 22.
17.Jump up ^ Sipos (2010), p. 237.
18.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Stegall, Sarah (2000). "Don't Boggart That Cop". The Munchkyn Zone. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
19.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), p. 281.
20.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved January 1, 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e May 29 – June 4, 1999", listed under Sky 1
21.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. (2006). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
22.Jump up ^ Littlefield, Kinney (April 7, 2000). "Scully Gets Mystical in Gentle 'X-Files' Written/Directed by Gillian Anderson". The Orange County Register (Freedom Communications). Retrieved December 27, 2011.
23.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 113.
24.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (July 27, 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
25.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (July 23, 2000). "TV Review: The X-Files – 'X-Cops'". Space.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
26.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson (2009), pp. 216–217.
27.^ Jump up to: a b c Handlen, Zack (January 12, 2013). "'Closure'/'X-Cops' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
28.Jump up ^ "Top Drawer Files: The Best Stand-Alone X-Files Episodes". The Gazette (Postmedia Network). July 25, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
29.Jump up ^ Bricken, Rob (October 13, 2009). "The 10 Funniest X-Files Episodes". Topless Robot. Village Voice Media. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
30.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew. "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
31.Jump up ^ "Top 11 X-Files Monsters". UGO Networks. IGN Entertainment. July 21, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
32.^ Jump up to: a b Bahar, Narin (September 24, 2011). "Best Sci-Fi TV Mockumentaries – The X-Files – X-Cops". SFX. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
Booker, M. Keith (2002). Strange TV: Innovative Television Series from The Twilight Zone to The X-Files. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313323737.
Butler, Jeremy (2012). Television Style. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415965118.
Friedman, James (2002). Reality Squared: Televisual Discourse on the Real. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813529899.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 9781933784724.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
Leslie-McCarthy, Sage (2007). "The X-Files: Continuing the Psychic Detective Legacy". In Yang, Sharon. The X-Files and Literature: Unweaving the Story, Unraveling the Lie to Find the Truth. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781847182395.
Meisler, Andy (1999). Resist or Serve: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 4. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061073090.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 9780975944691.
Sipos, Thomas (2010). Horror Film Aesthetics: Creating The Visual Language of Fear. McFarland. ISBN 9780786449729.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The X-Files
"X-Cops" at the Internet Movie Database
"X-Cops" at TV.com
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Categories: 2000 television episodes
The X-Files (season 7) episodes
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First Person Shooter (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
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"First Person Shooter"
The X-Files episode
X-files william gibson.jpg
"First Person Shooter" promotional poster
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 13
Directed by
Chris Carter
Written by
William Gibson
Tom Maddox
Production code
7ABX13
Original air date
February 27, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Krista Allen as Maitreya/Jade Blue Afterglow
Jamie Marsh as Ivan Martinez
Constance Zimmer as Phoebe
Billy Ray Gallion as Retro
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Michael Ray Bower as Lo-Fat
Ryan Todd as Mixer
James Geralden as Detective Lacoeur
John Marrott as Security Guard
Christopher Ng as Darryl Musashi[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"X-Cops" Next →
"Theef"
List of The X-Files episodes
"First Person Shooter" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on February 27, 2000. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "First Person Shooter" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.3, being watched by 15.31 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly negative reviews from critics; many felt that the story was flawed and that the plot was sexist.
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, The Lone Gunmen summon Mulder and Scully to the headquarters of a video game design company after a new virtual reality game, which the Gunmen helped design, is taken over by a bizarre female computer character whose power is much more than virtual.
"First Person Shooter" was written by noted authors William Gibson and Tom Maddox, and directed by series creator Chris Carter. In addition, the episode serves as the spiritual successor to Gibson and Maddox's earlier episode "Kill Switch." Gibson was motivated to write the episode after the success of "Kill Switch." The episode featured several elaborate special effects sequences that nearly put the episode over budget.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Background and writing
2.2 Filming and casting
2.3 Action and effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
The episode opens with three men, fitted with futuristic combat gear and automatic weapons, entering the virtual reality game First Person Shooter. In a control room, Ivan and Phoebe, the game's programmers, are monitoring the players' vital signs. Only one of the players makes it to the second level of the violent game, where he encounters a female character in a fetishistic leather outfit. She introduces herself as Maitreya, stating, "This is my game". She then kills the player with a flintlock pistol.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) visit the headquarters of First Person Shooters's developers in Inland Empire, California, where they meet the Lone Gunmen, who work as consultants for the game. They look at the body of the player, which clearly displays a gunshot wound. Ivan claims there is no way a real gun could have been brought into the highly-secured building. The agents are shown a video from the game, featuring the female character who killed the player. Mulder takes the printout of the character and shows it to a detective, as he believes she is the killer.
Daryl Musashi, a famous computer hacker, arrives at the building and enters the game to kill Maitreya. However, the character cuts off Musashi's head and hands with a large medieval sword. Mulder receives a call from the Sheriff's Department that a woman similar to the one in the printout has been picked up. The woman, a stripper named Jade Blue Afterglow, tells the agents that she was paid by a medical imaging facility in Culver City to scan her body.
Mulder and Scully find out that the Lone Gunmen have become trapped inside First Person Shooter, with somebody trying to kill them. Mulder enters the game, where he sees Maitreya and follows her. In the real world, Phoebe tearfully admits to Scully that the female warrior was created by her as a sort of personal estrogenic outlet in a testosterone-fuelled environment. Maitreya was to be contained within Phoebe's personal separate project, but the character found her way into the First Person Shooter program.
Scully decides to join Mulder in the game, and the two fight Maitreya together. Maitreya begins to duplicate herself, making the task of killing her more difficult. Finally, Maitreya sits atop a virtual tank and aims it at the agents. Phoebe admits there is one way to stop the game, but doing so will erase the entire program. Despite protests from Ivan, Phoebe gives Byers the kill command, effectively destroying Maitreya along with the game while saving Mulder and Scully. During Mulder's narration, we see that in the control room one of the monitors is still active. There, Ivan sees Maitreya's avatar, but with Scully's face.[1]
Production[edit]
The episode was co-written by noted author William Gibson.
Background and writing[edit]
The episode is notable for being written by William Gibson, together with fellow science fiction novelist and long-time friend Tom Maddox.[2][3][4] "First Person Shooter" was the second episode written by the authors, after the success of the fifth season episode "Kill Switch", which first aired on February 15, 1998 and subsequently made frequent appearances in reruns, encouraging Gibson to continue working in television.[3] According to executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the writing process for "First Person Shooter" was slow. Initially, Gibson and Maddox presented the first two acts of their idea, which was tweaked by series creator Chris Carter and Spotnitz in order to make it feel more like an X-File. After the rewriting process, the writers then returned with the subsequent acts.[5] Gibson and Maddox were fans of The Lone Gunmen and purposely wrote them into the episode.[6]
Filming and casting[edit]
The concepts behind the episode were difficult to transfer from script to film. Spotnitz later explained that, "William Gibson and Tom Maddox always get us into trouble. They always come up with these great ideas that are always hard to execute."[5] In addition, budgetary challenges faced the production of "First Person Shooter." Due to all the special effects needed for the episode, the episode nearly drastically went over budget. In order to not over-spend, the production crew was lent various virtual game layouts from video game companies. Not wishing to simply "copy existing designs," production designer Corey Kaplan and his design team created "some pretty pictures" to differentiate the crews' design from the video game companies'.[5] Much of the opening action was filmed at a Rykoff food distribution company in Los Angeles. At the time, the company's owner was the uncle of X-Files producer Paul Rabwin. In addition, a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles filled in for the backdrop of the opening scene.[6]
Carter later noted that the hardest part of "First Person Shooter" was casting a suitable actress for the part of Maitreya.[5][6] Casting director Rick Millikan looked into every possible avenue—including strippers, porn stars, and erotic thriller/direct-to-video actresses—before settling upon Krista Allen for the role. Initially, there was a "wholesome quality" that bothered Carter, but as the episode was being filmed, both Carter and Millikan recognized that Allen was right for the part. In addition to the part of Maitreya, several stuntmen were needed for the episode, including doubles for Mulder and Maitreya for their martial art fight scene. Experienced gymnast Dana Heath was hired for several scenes that required Maitreya to execute a series of handstands. Fourteen stuntmen were needed to ride Kawasaki 600s and fire gas-powered machine-guns.[6]
Action and effects[edit]
The tank scene was created completely using CGI technology. The only actual footage from the scene was the background. A computer-generated tank, along with women, were designed on a computer. Then, special effects shots of smoke and explosions were layered on top of the vehicle to give it a more life-like appearance.[7] Bruce Harwood, who portrayed Byers, noted that the action sequences in the episode were a challenge. He explained, "It's pretty difficult on a set when the stuntmen come up to you and go, 'Don't worry, you'll be safe, Nothing to worry about. Okay. Everyone put their safety glasses on.'"[8]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"First Person Shooter" first aired in the United States on February 27, 2000.[9] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 9.3, with a 13 share, meaning that roughly 9.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[10] It was viewed by 15.31 million viewers.[10] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on June 11, 2000 and received 0.67 million viewers, making it the third most watched episode that week.[11] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Tonight, Mulder and Scully must track down a video game killer whose killing spree is real."[12]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "D–" and largely panned it, calling it "legendarily bad".[13] He likened the overall experience of watching “First Person Shooter” to "feeling as if the show is slowly but surely letting the air out of its own tires."[13] VanDerWerff's main criticisms of the episode were that the concept of the episode was not fleshed out enough, and that the plot was "utterly sexist—toward both men and women" which he called "some sort of feat."[13] He was, however, moderately pleased with the performances of Duchovny and Anderson, writing that they both were "really trying".[13] Kenneth Silber from Space.com criticized the lack of emotion in the episode, writing, "'First Person Shooter' achieves considerable mayhem but remarkably little drama. There seems little reason to care what happens to any of the characters, whether virtual or real, regulars or guests. Even as a man's hands are cut into bloody stumps, one never gets the sense that anything important is going on."[14]
Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "this Chris Carter-directed ep [sic] oddly enough doesn't center on the series mythology arc, but instead opts for a stab at the tired ol' virtual reality genre. [...] The only saving grace here is the appearance of hip conspiracy buffs The Lone Gunmen, who always brighten up any episode they appeared in."[15] Cyriaque Lamar from i09 called Maitreya one of "The 10 Most Ridiculous X-Files Monsters".[16] Lamar derided the plot, calling it "Scully And Mulder Do Doom", and expressed disappointment that the episode was written by William Gibson.[16] 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 star out of five and called the episode "boring, stupid, and actually offensive, this is one of the very worst X-Files ever."[17] Regardless of the negative press, "First Person Shooter" became one of Gillian Anderson's favorite episodes, despite "its reliance on big guns and raging testosterone."[6] Anderson explained that she enjoyed the opportunity "to show Scully wearing heavy metal and firing oversized weapons."[6]
Although "First Person Shooter" was not as well-received as the first episode written by William Gibson and Tom Maddox, "Kill Switch", the episode later won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series, and received a nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series.[18]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp, 154–166
2.Jump up ^ "Alexandra DuPont Interviews William 'Freakin' Gibson!!!!" (Interview). Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Fridman, Sherman (4 February 2000). ""X-Files" Writer Fights For Online Privacy" (news article). News Briefs. Newsbytes PM. Retrieved 13 July 2007. (subscription required)
4.Jump up ^ Johnston, Anthony (August 1999). "William Gibson : All Tomorrow’s Parties : Waiting For The Man". Spike Magazine. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 166
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 167
7.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2000). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
8.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 179
9.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
11.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 5–11, 2000", listed under Sky 1
12.Jump up ^ First Person Shooter (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d VanDerWerff, Todd (January 19, 2013). "'First Person Shooter'/'Theef' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
14.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (14 July 2000). "The X-Files – 'First Person Shooter'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Cyriaque, Lamar (1 June 2011). "The 10 Most Ridiculous X-Files Monsters". i09. Gawker Media. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
17.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, p. 218
18.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 241
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"First Person Shooter" at the Internet Movie Database
"First Person Shooter" at TV.com
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Categories: Cyberpunk television episodes
Fictional video games
The X-Files (season 7) episodes
Virtual reality in fiction
Works by William Gibson
2000 television episodes
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Theef
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Theef"
The X-Files episode
The message "theef" is written on wall in blood. A man who was hanged is in the foreground.
The titular message. Due to the nature of the antagonist—as exemplified by his spelling—several critics labeled him a "caricature of backwoods stupidity."
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 14
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Vince Gilligan
John Shiban
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
7ABX14
Original air date
March 12, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Billy Drago as Orell Peattie
James Morrison as Dr. Robert Wieder
Kate McNeil as Nan Wieder
Cara Jedell as Lucy Wieder
Tom Dahlgren as Dr. Irving Thalbro
Sage Allen as Landlady
Pamela Gordon as Propietor
Matthew Sutherland as Records Clerk
Dylan Kussman as Med Student
Michael Sidney as Security Guard
Aaron Braxton as Radiology Tech
Leah Sanders as Reporter #1
Mark Thompson as Reporter #2[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"First Person Shooter" Next →
"En Ami"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Theef" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on March 12, 2000. It was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Theef" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.4, being watched by 11.91 million people 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. 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 the murder of a prominent doctor's father-in-law, who was found with the word "theef" written on the wall in blood. After a string of follow-up accidents, Mulder suspects hexcraft may be the source of threats against the doctor's family.
"Theef" was written in a short amount of time during the show's Christmas break after another script was dropped by the series. The main conceit of the episode was "modern medicine versus backyards supernatural arts". The episode featured several noted actors, including Billy Drago, who played the role of antagonist Orell Peattie, and James Morrison, who was a former cast member of the science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond, which was created by former X-Files writers Glen Morgan and James Wong. Series creator Chris Carter later called the episode "very well cast".
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting, directing, and makeup
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References 4.1 Footnotes
4.2 Bibliography
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Dr. Irving Thalbro is staying the night with his daughter and her family in California, including her husband Dr. Robert Wieder (James Morrison). In the middle of the night, Irving finds a pile of dirt shaped like a man in his bed. Irving is then found by Robert hanging from the ceiling with the word "theef" painted in Irving's blood on the wall. While investigating the next morning, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) notices the graveyard dirt in Thalbro's bed and believes it may be caused by a hoodoo hex. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), however, believes that the doctor committed suicide by slitting his own throat, writing on the wall, and hanging himself. He was also found to have a prion disease called kuru, which has not been found in the United States before. Mulder believes that kuru was given to him by a hex that caused him to go mad. The Wieders then find a family photo missing from their bedroom, and a "hoodoo man", later revealed to be named Orell Peattie (Billy Drago) is seen placing the faces cut from the picture into various voodoo dolls. Ms. Wieder collapses after another pile of graveyard dirt is found in her bed. Her skin then sprouts lesions as the "hoodoo man" stands by the pool talking to the doll.
Peattie visits Dr. Wieder at work, but refuses to tell him why he is committing these hexes against his family. Wieder does some research of his own and finds a bracelet in a Jane Doe file that he believes may be connected. Mulder consults an expert in the occult, who notes that, in order to commit hexes, the man must draw energy from a charm and place blood, hair and a picture of the victim inside the dolls in order to follow through with the hexes. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wieder is burned to death during an Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the "hoodoo man" is found taking her voodoo doll out of the microwave. The word "theef" is also found branded in Mrs. Wieder's chest. Dr. Wieder tells the agents that the man came to see him, and that he found a Jane Doe case that may be connected to the murders. After investigating, it is revealed that the Jane Doe was Lynnette Peattie who died last October during a bus crash. The doctor gave her an overdose of morphine, euthanizing her due to her pain. Mulder assumes the man is her father and that he feels the doctor stole his family away from him. Mulder decides to exhume the body of Lynette Peattie and move it to Virginia, taking away her father's power, but when they exhume the casket there is no body inside.
Meanwhile, Peattie's landlord sneaks into his apartment for pain medication and finds the body of Lynnette in his bed. Immediately, she contracts a flesh-eating disease. After hearing about the incident on the news, Mulder goes to Peattie's apartment and finds Lynnette's body with the head missing, but Peattie missing. Peattie finds the Wieder family, whom Scully is protecting, and makes a voodoo doll with Scully's hair and photo inside. He places nails in the doll's eyes and Scully promptly goes blind. Peattie breaks into the house, takes Scully's gun and stabs a voodoo doll of Dr. Wieder, causing the doctor to collapse in pain. Mulder shows up, finds Scullly's voodoo doll and removes the nails from it, causing her to regain her vision and shoot Peattie. He is placed in a coma and Lynnette's body is shipped back to her home in West Virginia.[1]
Production[edit]
The episode was inspired by Voodoo and "backyards supernatural arts".
Writing[edit]
Originally, the episode was not planned to be produced during the seventh season. However, just before the writing crew prepared to take their Christmas break, one of the scheduled scripts was removed from the line-up. In order to meet the deadline, Frank Spotnitz, John Shiban, and Vince Gilligan decided to write a script about "modern medicine versus backyards supernatural arts".[2] Gilligan later joked that "I think I was enlisted for the fact that I'm Southern, and they thought I was the closest thing they had to a hillbilly on the staff".[3]
Producer David Amann explained that the inspiration for the story was "What if you have a doctor who is prosperous but has a dark page from his past that comes back to haunt him?"[2] Spotnitz later elaborated that the story initially was "going to be how do you get rid of something you can't get rid of".[2] However, the writers soon found this storyline difficult to develop, and, by Spotnitz's own admission, the story "started to evolve into a Cape Fear type of situation".[2] The episode was finished by the writers over the Christmas break and then "handed over" to Kim Manners, who became the episode's director.[2]
Casting, directing, and makeup[edit]
Noted actor Billy Drago was brought in to play the role of Orell Peattie, a casting decision that series creator Chris Carter later called "especially lucky".[2] His son, Darren E. Burrows, had previously been cast as Bernard in a season six episode, Monday.[4] Actor James Morrison, who played Dr. Wieder, was a former cast member of the science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond, and had previously been cast as detective Jim Horn in an episode of Millennium called "Dead Letters".[3][5] Both of these were written by former X-Files writers Glen Morgan and James Wong.[3] Leah Sanders, who was cast as the background character Reporter #1, was a childhood friend of John Shiban who had not been in contact for twenty years. Shiban was reportedly delighted to discover that his former friend had been coincidentally cast in the episode. Carter noted that the episode "was very well cast".[2]
Kim Manners later noted that "Theef" was difficult to shoot because the cast and crew had inadequate time to prepare. He explained, "It was kind of a rush thing and we got the script very late. We were totally winging it while we were shooting it".[2] Manners later stated that the episode "came together" in the editing room: "When I looked at the footage, it was like I was looking at somebody else's film. But it cut together real nice and the end result was that 'Theef' turned out to be a decent little episode".[2] Manners later admitted that the episode was his only credit for the series during which he experienced illness. With Manners out for a day due to his sickness, Rob Bowman took over directing duties for a day.[2]
Cheri Montesanto-Medcalf, one of the show's makeup creators, was extremely pleased with Drago's makeup in the episode. She later noted, "I remember Billy Drago was awesome–he looked so creepy after makeup. I just wanted this guy to look super-creepy and disturbing to look at, but real enough that you might be scared if you looked out your window at night and saw him standing there".[6]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Theef" first aired in the United States on March 12, 2000.[7] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.4, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.4 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] It was viewed by 11.91 million viewers.[8] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on June 18, 2000 and received 0.71 million viewers, making it the third most watched episode that week.[9] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Voodoo curse? Tonight, the dark powers of black magic have chosen their next victim... Agent Scully."[10] The episode was nominated and won a 2000 Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding Makeup for a Series.[11][12]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+", and called it "the strongest straight-up, non-experimental standalone the season’s had so far," as well as one of "the strongest 'scary' episode since season five. "[13] He praised the guest cast—mostly notably Drago and Morrison—and wrote that the writers of the episode were able to successfully make the character deaths in the episode count in a way that moved the audience. VanDerWerff's main criticism of the episode was the it painted Peattie "as a backwoods hick and a rather broad stereotype of one."[13] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a moderately positive review. Despite slightly criticizing the episode utilizing a voodoo-based plot, which he called "[not] terribly original", he concluded that "there's nothing wrong with a little modern medicine vs. practical magic confrontation. And I definitely enjoyed how Scully had her envelope pushed once again".[14] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars, noting, "writer Vince Gilligan gets fairly serious in this ep concerning a series of deadly hexes cast upon a doctor and his family, as well as some cryptic scrawlings. There's plenty of bad mojo going around as the X-Files team gets to dig deep into the dark side of the magick arts, with Scully at one point losing her sight, thanks to a vengeful hex doll. Spooky".[15] TV Guide later named the episode's main antagonist, Orell Peattie, as one of "The Scariest X-Files Monsters".[16] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately mixed review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.[17] She concluded that "although 'Theef' is burdened with some illogical plot developments and some underdeveloped characterization, overall it is a decent installment of The X-Files".[17]
Several other reviews were more mixed. Kenneth Silber from Space.com was critical of the episode, noting that the main antagonist is "a veritable caricature of backwoods stupidity and thus hard to take seriously".[18] He did, however, compliment the sympathetic qualities of Dr. Wieder and his family.[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 two-and-a-half stars out of five, noting that the episode was "just too unambitious an X-File to be anything more than a collection of moments, only some of which work".[19]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 169–179
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Shapiro, p. 179
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 179
4.Jump up ^ Meisler, pp. 182–194
5.Jump up ^ Thomas J. Wright (director); Glen Morgan and James Wong (writers) (November 8, 1996). "Dead Letters". Millennium. Season 1. Episode 3. Fox.
6.Jump up ^ Ray, Roxie (April 2002). "Disfigured Corpses and Moldy FBI Agents Lead Team to Emmy Award". Cinefantastique 34 (2): 46–47.
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
9.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 12–18, 2000", listed under Sky 1
10.Jump up ^ Theef (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
11.Jump up ^ "The X-Files". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 241
13.^ Jump up to: a b VanDerWerff, Todd (January 19, 2013). "'First Person Shooter'/'Theef' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
14.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 120
15.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
16.Jump up ^ "X Files Scariest Monsters Pictures, Milagro Photos - Photo Gallery: The Scariest X-Files Monsters". TV Guide. United Video Satellite Group. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Silber, Kenneth (7 July 2000). "The X-Files - 'Theef'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
19.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 218–219
Bibliography[edit]
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Season 6. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-107595-7.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Theef" at the Internet Movie Database
"Theef" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
Screenplays by Vince Gilligan
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En Ami
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"En Ami"
The X-Files episode
A man is smoking a cigarette in a car while a bewildered woman watches.
The Smoking Man catches Dana Scully off-guard. Davis wrote the script in order to create a story that focused on The Smoking Man and Scully.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 15
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Written by
William B. Davis
Production code
7ABX15
Original air date
March 19, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Michael Shamus Wiles as Gray-Haired Man
Louise Latham as Marjorie Butters
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Michael Canavan as Cameron McPeck
Jacqueline Schultz as Irene McPeck
Cory Parravano as Jason McPeck
Timothy Landfield as Cobra
Tom Bailey as Apartment Manager
Thomas Roe as Guard[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Theef" Next →
"Chimera"
List of The X-Files episodes
"En Ami" is the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on March 19, 2000. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "En Ami" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.5, being watched by 11.99 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, although elements of the script, as well as The Smoking Man's (William B. Davis) motives, were criticized.
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, Scully is intrigued after a young boy with cancer, whose parents don’t believe in medical treatment because it is against God’s will, recovers miraculously. What she soon discovers is that his cure is not miraculous, but scientific. Eager, if wary, to learn of the truth behind his secrets, Scully agrees to travel with the The Smoking Man to get the cure to all mankind’s diseases.
The script was Davis' first—and only—writing contribution to the series. Davis, inspired by the Shakespeare play Richard III, wanted to write a story wherein The Smoking Man was able to lure Scully in by enticing her with medical knowledge. In addition, "En Ami" was the last episode of The X-Files to be directed by Rob Bowman. The episode's title means "as a friend" in French and also functions as a pun, reading phonetically as "enemy" in English.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Filming
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Footnotes
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Jason McPeck, a young cancer patient, is ushered out of the car, carried past cameras and shouting onlookers, and placed in his bed, where his father tells him that God will decide if he can be cured of his cancer. Later in the night, the boy sees bright light and men in black walking towards his window. The next day, the boy is miraculously cured of his cancer.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are anonymously given information about Jason's case, and they soon investigate. At the McPeck house, Jason says that angels came to him and one of them pinched the back of his neck, and now his cancer is gone. Scully examines his neck and finds an incision exactly like the one she received when she was abducted. Upon leaving, Scully finds The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) in her car. The Smoking Man tells her that he was the one who saved Jason's life, and that since he is dying he wants to atone his previously evil behavior by giving the cure to Scully. Scully leaves, but not before The Smoking Man gives her his phone number. Scully traces the number to The Smoking Man's office address. He explains that he is dying of a cerebral inflammation that developed after his surgery. She agrees to go on a trip to retrieve the cure, but wears a wire, in order to send taped recordings of their conversations to Mulder.
During the trip, The Smoking Man tells Scully that he believes he shares a special kinship with her because he once held her own life in his hands. Mulder finds a message Scully's left on his phone suspicious and goes to her apartment, where the landlord tells him that she left with someone else. The Smoking Man and Scully arrive at the home of Margarie Butters, a 118-year-old gardener who also has the chip implanted in the back of her neck. Meanwhile, Mulder visits Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) to voice his concern, but Scully calls Skinner during the meeting and says that she is fine. At a gas station, Scully removes the wire, places it in an envelope, and mails it to Mulder. However, a man following the two removes the letter from the mailbox.
The Lone Gunmen come to Mulder's apartment in disguise and tell him that they cannot find Scully. They reveal that they have found e-mails between Scully and a man called Cobra, who is apparently working on a shadow project at the department of defense. Meanwhile, Scully wakes up in a cabin in Pennsylvania in pajamas instead of her clothes, and accuses The Smoking Man of drugging her. He claims she was merely exhausted and he was trying to make her comfortable. She attempts to leave but decides to continue when The Smoking Man tells her she's free to go and that the choice of whether to accept his help or not is hers. Mulder and The Lone Gunmen go to Skinner to figure out why Scully was communicating with Cobra. They find that an anonymous person has hacked into Scully's computer and has been sending Cobra messages calling for a meeting. The group believe that it is the work of The Smoking Man, but Skinner still does not know how to get a hold of him. At dinner, The Smoking Man tells Scully that the cure he possesses is not just the cure for cancer, but for all human disease, and that it is extraterrestrial. The Smoking Man goes outside and tells the man who has been following them that Cobra has not shown. Scully finds a note under her dessert plate saying to meet at Calico Cove at dawn. She goes alone and is stopped by Cobra, who gives her a disc before being shot and killed by a sniper. The man also attempts to kill Scully, but is killed by The Smoking Man.
Scully leaves The Smoking Man and gives the disc to The Lone Gunmen to analyze, but it turns out that he swapped the disc for a blank one. She goes back to his office but it has been emptied. Mulder informs her that this was a con and she was used to retrieve this information, but he does not understand why The Smoking Man left Scully alive. The final scene shows The Smoking Man throwing the disc into a lake.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The relationship between Scully and Cigarette-Smoking Man was one we had never explored. [...] I thought it was too great an idea not to take a chance on.
—Frank Spotnitz, on the nature of the episode[2]
"En Ami" was written by William B. Davis, who portrayed The Smoking Man. The main theme of the episode is The Smoking Man's desire to seduce Scully using an agenda she would understand, in this case medical knowledge. Davis approached series creator Chris Carter with his idea, who was intrigued. He assigned executive producer Frank Spotnitz to work with Davis and craft a full-fledged script.[2] The script went through many revisions; several scenes were cut, including one that featured The Smoking Man teaching Scully how to water-ski.[3] Originally, Alex Krycek was in the script and an alliance between him and The Smoking Man was "integral to the storyline."[2] As the script was written, however, this element was eliminated. The first draft of the script was finished in four weeks.[2]
Davis saw his character as a romantic hero. Carter and Spotnitz, however, did not want "Scully trusting this man she's spent seven years hating" so easily.[2] Eventually, the producers tweaked the script, adding "the reality of The X-Files's existing mythos and past character development" to ease the transition.[2] Davis later noted, "I was basically happy with the way [the episode] turned out, despite the fact that there were many other ideas that I had that I did not get to see. My original conception of the story was that Cigarette-Smoking Man was a much better actor at winning Scully's affections and that Scully was less resistant to this attention to her."[2][3] Because The Smoking Man was able to manipulate Scully, Carter later referred to "En Ami" as "the creepiest episode of the year."[3]
Part of the inspiration for the episode came from the Shakespeare play Richard III, most notably, the interaction between Richard and Lady Anne. The biggest inspiration for the episode, however, came from the fact that Davis wished to have an episode wherein he would interact solely with Gillian Anderson. He later noted, "if they're not going to give me a scene with Gillian, I'll just have to write one myself."[2] The episode's title, "En Ami," translates from French into English as "as a friend."[4][5] The title also functions as a pun, reading phonetically as "enemy" in English.[5]
Parts of "En Ami" were filmed at Lake Sherwood, California.
Filming[edit]
Production and filming for the episode were rushed. The scene featuring The Smoking Man and Scully eating dinner at a restaurant was filmed on two different days: Anderson's side of the scene was shot on one day and Davis' side was shot on another. The short schedule resulted in some quick scene construction, most notably for the dock sequence near the end of the episode. A majority of the lake scenes were filmed at Lake Sherwood in California. A stunt actor, Danny Weselis, filled in for Anderson during the scenes that called for her to drive the motor boat.[3] "En Ami" was directed by Rob Bowman and marked his last contribution to the show: "Artistically I felt like I couldn't help any more," he explained.[6]
Originally, "En Ami" was supposed to air early in the seventh season, but the producers realized that placing the episode so close to the Mulder-centric "The Sixth Extinction"/"Amor Fati" made character development problematic. Thus, the producers decided to move the episode near the middle of the season.[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"En Ami" first aired in the United States on March 19, 2000.[7] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.5, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[8] It was viewed by 11.99 million viewers.[8] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on June 25, 2000 and received 0.62 million viewers, ranking as the fourth most watched episode that week.[9] Fox promoted the episode with a faux-cigarette ad that read "Warning: Tonight's episode contains the Cigarette Smoking Man and may be harmful to Agent Scully's health."[10] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth.[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-and-a-half stars out of five.[5] The two praised the episode, writing, "The plot itself is all smoke (ahem) and mirrors, but that doesn't really matter" and "Davis' skills as both an actor and writer is […] very moving."[5] Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Get out your flowcharts to try and keep things straight, as we get to learn a little more about Cigarette Smoking Man and his hijinks, in this ep written by ol' smoky himself. Scully and CSM get some edgy moments together, as info is revealed about an extraterrestrial-based cure for all human diseases. To further confuse things Black-Haired Man from The X-Files feature film shows up, but so do The Lone Gunmen, so all is not lost."[12]
Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+" and wrote that "it mostly overcomes some significant script flaws".[13] He was critical of the fact that the script "requires Scully to be a lot more naive than she usually is".[13] Handlen wrote that, because the episode was not as believable as it could have been this far into the series, the reveal that The Smoking Man is using Scully is "more disappointing that shocking."[13] Despite these setbacks, he concluded that the episode is largely sound because of the performances of Davis and Anderson, as well as the fact that the entry allowed the audience to gain insight into The Smoking Man's motives.[13] Kenneth Silber from Space.com was not happy with the ambiguity of The Smoking Man, writing, "Perhaps unsurprisingly, the episode provides few answers. And the ending, with its high degree of ambiguity, provides little satisfaction. This reviewer, for one, is puzzled about both CSM's physical condition and his state of mind."[14]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 180–190
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Shapiro, p. 190
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shapiro, p. 191
4.Jump up ^ "En ami - Definition and More". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shearman and Pearson, pp. 219–220
6.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 179
7.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
9.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 19–25, 2000", listed under Sky 1
10.Jump up ^ En Ami (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
11.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). FOX.
12.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d Handlen, Zack (January 26, 2013). "'En Ami'/'Chimera' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
14.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (16 June 2000). "TV Review: The X-Files - 'En Ami'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
ReferencesHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"En Ami" at the Internet Movie Database
"En Ami" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
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Chimera (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Chimera"
The X-Files episode
A woman notices a recent stab marking on her back.
Ellen Adderly realizes she's the demonic creature
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 16
Directed by
Cliff Bole
Written by
David Amann
Production code
7ABX16
Original air date
April 2, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Ashley Edner as Michelle Crittendon
Charles Hoyes as Howard Crittendon
Michelle Joyner as Ellen Adderly
Gina Mastrogiacomo as Jenny Uphouse
John Mese as Sheriff Phil Adderly
F. William Parker as Dr. Blankenship
Wendy Schaal as Martha Crittendon[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"En Ami" Next →
"all things"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Chimera" is the sixteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States, on April 2, 2000, was written by David Amann, and directed by Cliff Bole. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Chimera" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.5, being watched by 12.89 million people in its initial broadcast. 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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder investigates what appears to be the case of a missing woman from a small town, but soon turns out to be a murder by a spirit summoned from the underworld. Scully, meanwhile, must endure an uncomfortable stakeout.
Similar to the season six episode, "Arcadia", "Chimera" was written as "a suburban parable about perfection" that examined "the evil that lies beneath a prototypical white-bread suburban existence." The episode was produced at a time when both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were directing their own episodes, and in order to compensate, Anderson's role was drastically reduced in the episode.
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]
A raven attacks a little girl, Michelle Crittendon, at a Bethany, Vermont park while a neighbor, Jenny Uphouse, watches. The bird is later found at her home. Her mother, Martha Crittendon, is then attacked and killed by an unseen monster. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are on a stakeout looking for a woman who is possibly killing prostitutes. Mulder believes she has the power to disappear because every time police attempt to arrest her she cannot be found. While on lookout, Mulder gets a call about the attack and leaves. Back at the office, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) tells Mulder that Crittendon disappeared and asks him what he knows about ravens. Mulder believes that the bird is usually associated with evil. Skinner tells Mulder that this case is a top priority because Crittendon is the wife of a powerful judge. At the Crittendon home, Martha's husband, Howard, tells Mulder that his wife was cheating on him because he found birth control pills, which is suspicious because Howard has had a vasectomy. Another neighbor, Ellen Adderly, the wife of Sheriff Phil Adderly, is approached by Jenny and then sees a raven before the window of a nearby car shatters. At the Crittendon home, Michelle sees the raven outside her window again and Howard leaves to check it out, leading him to find a hand sticking out above the flower bushes. Later the police dig up Martha's body, with claw marks all over her face.
Ellen tells Mulder that she saw a reflection in the mirror earlier, and that's what killed Martha. Mulder believes the glass are doorways to a demonic dimension and that someone is summoning forth a demon to attack people. Ellen believes Jenny Uphouse summoned the spirits, but she denies it. Later, Ellen finds a skeleton key in her house and a raven by her babies crib. In a mirror, Jenny sees the reflection of a monster chasing after her, but it suddenly breaks. She hides in the closet until Phil comes home and finds her. However, he attributes the commotion to stress, believing that she is imagining things. Mulder finds the skeleton key and it matches one found in Martha Crittendon's coat pocket. Mulder deduces that the sheriff is having an affair with Jenny. Mulder later tells him that Martha was pregnant and that he thinks he is the father. The sheriff reveals that the key opened the door to a motel, where he and Jenny met for clandestine affairs. Meanwhile, at the motel, Jenny sees ravens outside and is promptly attacked and killed by the creature.
Phil explains to Mulder that he wanted a divorce from Ellen two years ago, but she got pregnant and would not allow it. He also believes that he is the reason for this happening and that he somehow summoned the entity. It turns out that Ellen is the entity, which is given away by a cut in her back given by Jenny during the attack. Ellen transforms into the creature, attacks Mulder, and attempts to drown him in a bath tub, but stops when she sees her monstrous reflection in the water. She is placed in a psychiatric hospital, where the doctors diagnose her with multiple personality disorder. Meanwhile, Scully reveals to Mulder that the mysterious prostitute killer was not an X-File at all, but rather a man disguised as a woman who talked to the prostitutes about religion and attempted to help them get out of the prostitution ring.[1]
Production[edit]
The episode takes its title from the legendary Chimera, which was composed of the body of a lioness, a tail with a snake's head, and torso with the head of a goat.
Writing[edit]
The premise behind "Chimera" was "a compelling examination of the evil that lies beneath a prototypical white-bread suburban existence."[2] These themes had previously been explored in the season six episode, "Arcadia". However, the show wished to explore the same ideas in a more "straight-ahead scare" style, rather than supplementing the horror of the episode with humor, as was done in "Arcadia".[2] Series creator, Chris Carter, saw the episode as "a chance to do something bold and new."[3] Carter wanted the story to revolve around a crow, an image that he described simply as "scary". With the story, he wanted to "bust pretense and perception and expose the underbelly of a white-bread community."[3] Originally, the episode was going to feature a subterranean monster and was aptly going to be titled "Subterranean Monster Blues".[3]
The episode was written in "a burst of twenty-hour days". Greg Walker, who assisted David Amann, described the finished script as "a suburban parable about perfection."[3] Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles noted in their book, The Complete X-Files, that "David Amman's script is an insightful commentary on suburban repression and self-delusion, which made a major comeback in the conservative late '90s."[4] The episode soon went into pre-production, but first, several issues had to be addressed. Most notably, while the episode was being produced, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were also busy directing their own episodes—"Hollywood A.D." and "all things", respectively. To cope with this hectic schedule, the writers planned "Chimera" so that Duchovny and Anderson only had to be together in a limited number of scenes.[3] Anderson was only needed for one day of filming for her auxiliary sub-plot involving the prostitute murderer.[3]
Casting and filming[edit]
Rick Millikan, the show's casting director, was tasked with finding "normal-looking suburban people" for the cast. Millikan later noted that "the show necessitated casting perfect people. But it's not that easy to find [...] normal-looking people. We've used so many people over the years that it's gotten harder and harder to find them. Several of the individuals cast had previously played parts in "obscure genre films": Michelle Joyner first appeared in the 1990 anthology film Grim Prairie Tales, Gina Mastrogiacomo first was noted in her 1989 movie Alien Space Avenger, John Mese had a part in the 1995 movie Night of the Scarecrow, and finally, Wendy Schaal had appeared in the 1985 film Creature.[3]
Most of the opening scenes were shot in a local Los Angeles backyard, however, finding suitable "tree-lined elements" proved difficult. Ultimately, a museum in Hollywood allowed the crew to film in a tree-filled section on its grounds. The episode ran into several snags during filming. Director Cliff Bole had trouble trying to get the crows to "act on cue".[3] Eventually, several ravens were brought in as doubles. Bole later noted, "we got two ravens. One was very good at cawing and one was good at hopping."[3] The ending sequence had to be re-shot several times. Producer Paul Rabwin explained, "Originally, we wanted to show a mirror image of the woman being attacked by the monster, but it didn't really sell."[3] Eventually, the crew decided to glue candy glass onto a piece of plywood. In this manner, the camera was able to see the action through the shattered panes of glass.[3]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Chimera" first aired in the United States on April 2, 2000.[5] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.5, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[6] It was viewed by 12.89 million viewers.[6] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 7, 2000 and received 0.56 million viewers, making it the third most watched episode that week.[7] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "American Beauty? Tonight, in a perfect small town, with perfect neighbors and perfect families... lies an evil justing waiting to show it's [sic] 'perfect' face."[8]
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a few detractors. 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, calling the script "very stylish".[9] The two noted that "[David] Duchovny is very good here […] and, as a counterbalance, [Gillian] Anderson provides some great comic relief."[9] Shearman and Pearson concluded that the episode was "a little too ponderously paced to be a classic episode, but it's clever and well crafted [which makes it] a rewarding stand-out."[9] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "Cawing birds, spirit portals and split personalities are the order of the day in a story that doesn't offer that much in genuine thrills, but the best moments are Scully's occasional complaints from the field."[10] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.[11] Despite noting that the episode "gets off to an awkward start", Vitaris concluded that "'Chimera' takes us into the heart of a quintessential X-Files family".[11] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+", noting that, while the episode was good, it "falls short of classic status, trying to make a metaphor into flesh, and not quite succeeding."[12] Although Handlen enjoyed the way the episode explores and then connects the main characters, his main critique was the Ellen's transformation is never explicitly explained. He explained that, "If we had a sense of where her need comes from, if there was some hint at what drove her to this point, it would work; as is, the actress’s performance is excellent, but the character remains too generic."[12]
Not all reviews were positive. Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote a neutral review, saying, "Beyond that, there is little to be said, pro or con, for 'Chimera.' The episode is mildly interesting and avoids the puerility of recent episodes."[13] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a relatively negative review. He derided the lack of Anderson's character, summing up his feelings in the simple sentence, "No Dana Scully."[14]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 193–202
2.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro p. 202
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Shapiro p. 203
4.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 179
5.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
7.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 26-July 2, 2000", listed under Sky 1
8.Jump up ^ Chimera (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 220
10.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (January 26, 2013). "'En Ami'/'Chimera' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
13.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (21 July 2000). "The X-Files - 'Chimera'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 123
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 7
"Chimera" at the Internet Movie Database
"Chimera" at TV.com
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all things
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"all things"
The X-Files episode
A redheaded woman is being inundated with bright, yellow light.
Dana Scully enters a mystical reverie. The episode was based on Gillian Anderson's belief in spirituality and Buddhism.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 17
Directed by
Gillian Anderson
Written by
Gillian Anderson
Featured music
"The Sky Is Broken"
Production code
7ABX17[1]
Original air date
April 9, 2000
Running time
45 minutes[2]
Guest actors
Colleen Flynn as Colleen Azar
Stacy Haiduk as Maggie Waterston
Stephen Hornyak as Dr. Paul Kopeikan
Victoria Faerber as First Nurse
Nicolas Surovy as Dr. Daniel Waterston
Carol Banker as Carol
Elayn Taylor as Second Nurse
Cheryl White as Third Nurse
Scott Vance as Healer[3]
Episode chronology
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"Chimera" Next →
"Brand X"
List of The X-Files episodes
"all things" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written and directed by series co-star and lead actress Gillian Anderson. The installment is a "Monster-of-the-Week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the overarching mythology of The X-Files. Originally aired by the Fox network on April 9, 2000, "all things" received a Nielsen rating of 7.5 and was seen by 12.18 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics, with many deriding the episode's pretentious dialogue and the characterization of Scully. However, the entry was generally well received by fans of the show.
The X-Files centers on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Mulder and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, and the skeptical Scully was initially assigned to debunk his work, but the two have developed a deep friendship. In this episode, Scully is led by coincidences to Dr. Daniel Waterston (Nicolas Surovy), a married man with whom she had an affair during medical school, and a look at the life she did not choose, forcing her to make choices about her future. After Waterston slips into a coma, Scully decides to put aside her rational skepticism and find a medical alternative to save the man she once loved.
"all things" marked the first time series star Anderson had written an episode of The X-Files. Originally, Anderson's draft was fifteen pages too long and did not feature a fourth act, but after working with series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the script was finalized. The installment also marked the directing debut for Anderson as well as the first time a woman directed an episode of The X-Files. The cast and crew helped Anderson adjust to directing and were happy with the finished product. Anderson's directing style was later positively critiqued by crew members of the show. Furthermore, the episode has been analyzed for its themes of pragmatism and feminist philosophy.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Conception and writing
2.2 Directing
2.3 Music and effects
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception
5 References 5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Work cited
6 External links
Plot[edit]
FBI special agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is getting dressed in front of a mirror. As she leaves the bedroom, her partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) lies in his bed, half his body covered by bedsheets. Flashback to a few days earlier: a series of coincidences bring Scully into contact with her former professor, Daniel Waterston (Nicolas Surovy), with whom she had an affair during medical school. Scully has an existential crisis when she questions whether she made the right decision to leave him and medicine to pursue her career in the FBI. Scully also meets his daughter, Maggie (Stacy Haiduk), who is extremely resentful of Scully. Mulder, who is in England investigating crop circles, contacts Scully and asks her to go to meet a contact of his to obtain information.
Scully talks to Mulder on her cell phone as she drives, and a woman appears in the crosswalk, forcing Scully to hit the brakes to keep from hitting the woman. As she does this, a diesel truck nearly collides with Scully. When Scully arrives to the house of Mulder's contact, Colleen Azar (Colleen Flynn), she recognizes her as a woman that she had seen earlier that day in the hospital. Azar observes that Scully is going through a personal crisis and is tries to offer her guidance, but Scully is dismissive.
Later, Scully decides to return to visit Azar to apologize for being so dismissive and to see what she has to say. Azar tells her about the Eastern philosophies of Buddhism, the collective unconscious, and her own personal aura that might explain why she is experiencing these strange occurrences. After a confrontation with Maggie at the hospital, she walks through Chinatown and sees the same woman who had appeared in the crosswalk before, so she follows her. The woman goes into a small Buddhist temple and seemingly vanishes. Scully, who has followed the mysterious woman into the temple, has a vision while looking at the statue of the Buddha. Scully returns to the hospital to visit Waterston, accompanied by Azar.
Azar and another healer provide alternative treatment for Waterston, who man fully recovers. He proclaims that he still wants a relationship with Scully, but she realizes that she is no longer the same person she was ten years ago, and she leaves the room. As she sits outside the hospital on a bench, she sees the mysterious woman from the crosswalk and the Buddhist temple, and chases her down. When she catches the woman and the woman turns around, she sees it is Mulder. Later, Mulder and Scully sit on the sofa together in his apartment talking about the events of the last few days. As Mulder begins to speak more existentially about what transpired with Scully and seemingly implying that fate has brought them together, he turns to her to see that she has fallen asleep.[3]
Production[edit]
Conception and writing[edit]
A redheaded woman, who is smiling at the camera.
"all things" marked the first and only time Gillian Anderson directed and wrote an episode of The X-Files.
Anderson originally approached series creator Chris Carter about writing and directing an episode of the series during its sixth season. At the same time, Anderson was getting offers from various networks to direct shows, despite having never directed an entry of television before. She decided to "learn the ropes" with The X-Files and then branch out from there.[4] The inspiration for a majority of the episode came from Anderson herself. Long a believer in the power of spiritual healing and Buddhism, Anderson crafted a script that would see Scully pursuing a "deeply personal X-File, one which in [she] is taken down a spiritual path when logic fails her".[4] Anderson had only a rough outline of the script until one day she wrote a majority of the story in one sitting. She explained, "A certain concept began to form, [and] I just wrote the entire outline for 'all things' right then and there. It all just kind of came together on the page".[4] The next day, Anderson pitched the script to Carter, who approved of the "personal and quiet" characteristics of the story.[4]
The first draft of the script was fifteen pages too long and did not feature a fourth act; Anderson turned in about 72 pages for the first three, when four acts usually comprised only 50.[5] Carter and Spotnitz worked closely with Anderson, although the former two acknowledge that the majority of the work "was all Gillian".[4] Despite her satisfaction with the final cut, Anderson regrets a handful of the "necessary" script cuts and edits that were made, most notably, the painting of Scully as "the other woman".[4] The final conversation scene between Scully and Daniel Waterson was reduced in length by 10 minutes. Anderson had to cut out the scenes during the editing process due to the maximum length of 42 minutes.[6]
Originally, Anderson did not want it to be implied that Scully and Waterston had had an affair. In the original script, they came close to having an affair, but Scully ended the relationship when she discovered he was married to another woman.[7] She explained that, "what had actually transpired [...] was that there had been an attraction and that they were starting to spend some time together. [...] It started getting heavier and Waterston began talking about divorce. [...] Scully didn't want that to happen because she didn't want to be a homewrecker".[4][8] In the commentary for the episode, Anderson elaborated on Scully and Waterston's backstory: after Scully and Waterston got close to having an affair, Scully left to go to Quantico and study to become an FBI agent. After she left, Waterston become depressed and his family began to suspect that he was actually having an affair. The emotional turmoil was too much for Waterston's wife and she killed herself. This is the reason that, in the episode, Waterston's daughter, Maggie, resents Scully so much.[9] Anderson, in fact, felt that the removal of this backstory confused the plot and made it hard for the audience to understand why Maggie was so angry at Scully.[10]
When Anderson first wrote the episode, she did not try to hint at the fact that Scully and Mulder may have spent the night together. But Spotnitz and the production crew felt it was natural hinting that Scully and Mulder's relationship had evolved into a romantic one.[11] The crop circle idea was included because Anderson wanted "whatever Mulder was involved in that took him away from me, away from Washington, to somehow tie into what it was that I was going through—the journey that I was going through".[12] She and the production crew started researching crop circles which had to deal with the "heart-chakra". Spotnitz was heavily involved during the researching process during this episode's development.[13]
Directing[edit]
I was happy that it had an essence of what I was intending. [...] It veered quite a bit from what my original intention for it was [...] but the overall experience was a good one..
—Gillian Anderson, expressing her satisfaction with the episode[14]
The episode, being directed by Anderson, marked the first time a woman had directed an episode for the show, as well as the first credit for Anderson. At the original meeting that Anderson pitched her idea for "all things", she iterated the fact that she wished to direct the episode too. While Carter accepted the script, he wished to take the "risky journey [of directing] one step at a time".[4] He originally told Anderson to write the entire script for "all things", and then he would determine whether or not she would direct the episode. After the script was accepted, Anderson was approved as the director.[4]
Being new at directing, Anderson worked with director Kim Manners for a majority of the episode. She noted that, "if I had any questions, I would go to Kim".[8] Manners helped Anderson by giving her directing homework: he told her to make a shot list of every scene in her script. Anderson's directing helped to energize The X-Files production. The cast and crew "pushed extra hard" to make sure that everything was in order for the series star's directorial debut. Production designer Corey Kaplan made sure that the episode featured a Buddhist temple at Anderson's request and casting director Rick Millikan helped Anderson pick actors and actresses for her episode. Millikan later noted that, "I loved working with Gillian. It was fun for me to watch her go through the casting process because it was all new to her".[8] On set, Anderson's directing style was described as "right on the money".[8] Marc Shapiro, in his book all things: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Volume 6, noted that "Anderson wielded a deft hand in her directorial debut, prodding the actors to her will, making decisions on the fly, and handling the complex special effects sequences".[8] Fans of the show later sent in calls and letters to express that they were impressed with Anderson's directing abilities.[8]
Music and effects[edit]
A bald man with glasses is looking intently at a camera.
"all things" featured the song "The Sky Is Broken" from electronica musician Moby's 1999 album Play.
Once, when driving home after work, Anderson was listening to "The Sky Is Broken", a song from Moby's 1999 album Play, and immediately wanted to include it in her script for the episode. She noted, "I was driving home one night after work and listening to ["The Sky Is Broken" by Moby] and this song started playing and it was [...] important that I use it and I was determined that we were going to use this track. And the more I actually listened to the words and the dialogue the more it fit with my idea that was unfolding for the script".[15] The first shot after the opening credits, which involved the dripping water, was something Anderson wanted to include to create a "continuation of sound, rhythmic sound".[16] She added that it was important for the musical part of the show.[16]
Anderson was heavily involved working with composer Mark Snow in the post-production process of the show. After filming the episode, she sent Snow several CDs and asked him to "come up with something that had certain flavors to it".[17] The music they worked on together for this episode eventually became "Scully's Theme", which was not broadcast until the episode "Within".[18] The episode featured many instances of a "gong" sound, which Anderson called "very Tibetan" and "appropriate for this episode."[19] According to Snow, "the idea of using a solo female voice, where there was certainly no lyrics, just incantations" was meant to represent Scully's alienation and loneliness.[20] Originally, the song featured the lyrics "we are near, we are near", but Carter did not want the song to feature words and asked Snow to change it into a more ambiguous "oscillating sound".[20]
The meditation scene required various clips from previous episodes to appear in a flash back. Originally, Paul Rabwin and the special effects crew cut the various scenes and placed them in bubbles. According to Rabwin, "we really didn't know, it was all just experimentation".[21] Eventually, the crew decided that the bubbles looked too "hokey" so they adopted a more standard slit-scan effect. In order to create the sequence of Scully visualizing Waterston's heart condition, Nicolas Surovy had to lie naked on a platform surrounded by a blue screen. A spherical ball was then matched via motion control as a marker for a prosthetic beating heart that was crafted and filmed separately. The two shots were then combined together into one scene.[21]
Themes[edit]
In the chapter "Scully as a Pragmatist Feminist" of the book The Philosophy of The X-Files, Erin McKenna argues that "all things" represents an "important shift" in Scully's approach to science, knowledge acquisition, and the pursuit of the truth.[22] She reasons that the events of the episode open her mind to news ways of knowing, specifically citing, "auras, chakras, visions, [...] and the importance of coincidence".[22] McKenna argues that Scully's shift in perspective deliberately mirrored the shift in American pragmatism, a view that believes reality is ever-changing. In this manner, pragmatists believe "the truth is out there" much like Mulder.[23] In "all things", Scully begins to embrace pragmatism, although she clings onto her skeptic roots. Mixing the two, Scully begins to represent "the pragmatist approach to knowledge and the truth".[23] Scully soon evolves from a mere skeptic who demands proof to prove a truth, to an empiricist who wants proof but is open to other perspectives.[23]
In addition, McKenna reasons that "all things" is heavily influenced by feminist philosophy, a school of thought that tries to criticise or re-evaluate the ideas of traditional philosophy from within a feminist framework.[24][25] According to McKenna, feminism rejects dualistic ways of thinking.[25] Feminist philosophy, instead, calls for a pluralistic way of thinking, noting that there is not one consistent set of truths about the world, but many.[26] In the episode, Scully starts out "sure of her more rational scientific view and approach". However, as the episode goes on, she decides to branch out and engage in acts of investigation. Eventually, she brings in a spirit healer to "corroborate or nullify the new beliefs she is encountering".[27]
When Mulder and Scully talk at the end of the episode, Mulder questions the fact that he left "town for two days and [Scully] spoke to God in a Buddhist temple and God spoke back."[28] Scully, however, notes that "I didn't say God spoke back".[28] McKenna proposes that this is an example of Scully's rational scientific approach meshing with her newer, feministic pragmatism, which "are to be seen, not as competing systems, but as complementary, as are Scully and Mulder themselves."[28] McKenna concludes that this is represented in the opening scene, in which Mulder and Scully are implied to have slept together; this one scene shows the full merging of Scully's pragmatism with feminist philosophy.[28]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"all things" was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on April 9, 2000.[1] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.5, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.5 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned into the episode.[29] It was viewed by 12.18 million viewers.[29] The episode first aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on July 9, 2000 and received 0.58 million viewers and was the seventh most-watched episode for that week for that channel.[30]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "C" and called it "a curious failure".[14] He felt that the writing was "pretentious" and composed of "some weird, weird bullshit".[14] VanDerWerff wrote that, although the episode was not successful, there is something "pure and unadorned at its center that I can’t outright hate it".[14] Furthermore, he admired the show and Anderson for "making the attempt".[14] Kevin Silber of Space.com gave the episode a negative review. He was critical of the script and characterization and said "nothing much seems to happen, and what does occur is substantially driven by coincidence and arbitrariness".[31] He did not like the character of Colleen and disapproved of Scully's philosophical "reverie", calling it "facile, and hard to reconcile with the determined rationalism she's displayed over the years in the face of events no less strange than those that occur here".[31]
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 star out of five, calling the premise and characters "dull". The two criticized Anderson for looking at the "minutiae of life too intensely", which resulted in many of the actors and actresses coming off as "ciphers". Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson were critical of Anderson's directing style, calling it "pretentious" and noting that the plot's significance was drowned out by needless "flourishes".[32] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a negative review and awarded it one star out of four.[33] She called Anderson's directing "heavy-handed" and bemoaned the storyline because, according to her, it "plays havoc with Scully's motivations and character as established in the past seven years".[33]
Not all reviews were negative, however. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review and called it "wonderful". He praised Anderson's tenacity to present a darker moment from Scully's past—her affair with a married man—and favorably compared the episode to "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" in terms of character development.[34] Kinney Littlefield of The Orange County Register wrote a moderately positive review of the episode, and wrote that the "wistful, meditative episode" was "not bad for Anderson 's first directing effort".[35] He did, however, note, that it was not as "sly as the episode about an alien baseball player that Duchovny directed awhile back".[35] While the episode received mixed reviews from critics, fans of the show reacted generally positively to "all things".[8] The X-Files staff received calls and letters explaining that viewers, "loved the vulnerability and quiet determination that Scully revealed in the unusual episode".[8]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), pp. 204–214.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Shapiro (2000), p. 214.
5.Jump up ^ Anderson, 15:05–15:15.
6.Jump up ^ Anderson, 13:50–14:01.
7.Jump up ^ Anderson, 14:02–14:47.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Shapiro (2000), p. 215.
9.Jump up ^ Anderson, 14:25–16:18.
10.Jump up ^ Anderson, 16:19–16:47.
11.Jump up ^ Anderson, 0:15–040.
12.Jump up ^ Anderson, 2:45–3:14.
13.Jump up ^ Anderson, 3:20–3:35.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Harris, Will (March 30, 2012). "Gillian Anderson". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Anderson, 2:07–2:35.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Anderson, 1:27–1:40.
17.Jump up ^ Anderson, 8:50–9:05.
18.Jump up ^ Anderson, 9:40–9:50.
19.Jump up ^ Anderson, 11:55–12:00.
20.^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Chris; Patrick, Robert; Spotnitz, Frank; Gish, Annabeth (2001). The Truth Behind Season 8 (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Paul Rabwin (2000). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Scully's Meditation (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
22.^ Jump up to: a b McKenna (2007), p. 126.
23.^ Jump up to: a b c McKenna (2007), p. 127.
24.Jump up ^ Gatens (1991), passim
25.^ Jump up to: a b McKenna (2007), p. 133.
26.Jump up ^ McKenna (2007), p. 136.
27.Jump up ^ McKenna (2007), p. 137.
28.^ Jump up to: a b c d McKenna (2007), p. 138.
29.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), p. 281.
30.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved January 1, 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e July 3–9, 1999", listed under Sky1
31.^ Jump up to: a b Silber, Kevin (April 10, 2000). "On 'The X-Files' Scully Contemplates 'all things'". Space.com. Techmedia Network. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
32.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson (2009), p. 221.
33.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
34.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), pp. 125–127.
35.^ Jump up to: a b Littlefield, Kinney (April 9, 2000). "Scully Comes Out in Front in Special 'X-Files' Outing – Review: She Gets Mystical and New Age-y in a Gentle Episode Written and Directed by Gillian Anderson". The Orange County Register (Freedom Communications). Retrieved September 19, 2012. (subscription required)
Work cited[edit]
Anderson, Gillian (2005), "all things": Commentary, The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Gatens, M. (1991). Feminism and Philosophy: Perspectives on Difference and Equality. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253281906.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
McKenna, Erin (2007). "Scully as a Pragmatist Feminist". In Kowalski, Dean A. The Philosophy of The X-Files. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813124549.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
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: The X-Files
"all things" at the Internet Movie Database
"all things" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
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The X-Files (season 7) episodes
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Brand X (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Brand X"
The X-Files episode
A man is staring at the camera and smoking a cigarette.
Darryl Weaver smokes the experimental cigarettes
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 18
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Steven Maeda
Greg Walker
Production code
7ABX19
Original air date
April 16, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Dennis Boutsikaris as Dr. Peter Voss
Richard Cox as Daniel Brimley
Tobin Bell as Darryl Weaver
Mike Hungerford as Complaining Man
Shannon O'Hurley as Ann Voss
Arthur Rosenberg as Lead Counsel
Ron Marasco as Doctor
Pat Destro as Joan Scobie
Caryn West as Dr. Libby Nance
Rick Deats as Dr. Jim Scobie
David Sawyer as Security Man
Greg Poland as Second Windbreaker Man
Matthew T. Wilson as Manager[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"all things" Next →
"Hollywood A.D."
List of The X-Files episodes
"Brand X" is the eighteenth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on April 16, 2000. It was written by Steven Maeda and Greg Walker and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Brand X" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.8, being watched by 10.81 million people in its initial broadcast. 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 this episode, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is horrified when the witness who was due to testify against the Morley cigarette company dies mysteriously. After being called into assist, Mulder and Scully soon discover that a new brand of cigarette has a dangerous secret.
Inspired by the 1999 film The Insider, "Brand X" was written by Maeda and Walker to be an exploration of the corporate evil inside the cigarette industry. The scenes featuring shots of beetles crawling out corpses were shot and filmed using real insects as well as real actors. In one particular scene, over 3,000 live insects were used. Those scenes took up to a full day to film.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Filming
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is charged with guarding the life of Dr. James Scobie, a former researcher who is testifying against his former employer, the Morley tobacco corporation. Prior to his trial, Scobie develops a cough, but shrugs it off. In the morning, Skinner and Scobie's wife find his body on the bathroom floor, with his face ripped away.
Morley has created a form of "super-tobacco", which in is inhabited by a genetically engineered tobacco beetle whose eggs can survive the cigarette processing and are released in the smoke of the cigarettes. The cigarettes were tested on a range of subjects by Scobie and colleague, Dr. Peter Voss. Of the four human test subjects, chain smoker Darryl Weaver is the only surviving participant. Prior to his death, Scobie agreed to give Weaver an unlimited supply of cigarettes in exchange for his silence; he subsequently pressures Voss into honoring his "arrangement" with Scobie.
A chain of victims succumb to the eggs in the toxic smoke, all of whom are covered in the tobacco beetles. While interviewing Weaver, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is exposed to the smoke, later coughing up blood and needing his lungs invasively cleared as the beetles begin to hatch.
Voss, who had until now been hiding behind his legal advisor, has a change of heart upon hearing of Mulder’s condition and tells Skinner of the aforementioned testing. Skinner goes to Weaver’s apartment after getting his name from Dr. Voss and finds a man tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth. When Skinner removes the gauze wrapper around the man’s mouth, the man chokes and beetles begin crawling from his mouth. At the hospital, Mulder is in grave danger due to the hatching of the beetle eggs in his lungs, and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) attempts to find a way to save him, because he is "too weak for thoracic surgery."
Meanwhile, Darryl Weaver attempts to browbeat Skinner, threatening to light one of the toxic cigarettes. As Weaver attempts to leave the building, Skinner shoots Weaver's shoulder and the pane of glass behind him, leaving him injured and covered in glass. He drops his cigarette to the floor and Skinner dramatically snuffs it out with his shoe. Back at the hospital, Scully realizes that nicotine might save Mulder’s life. She is correct in her solution, noting that Weaver’s nicotine tolerance didn’t allow the tobacco beetles to develop in his lungs. Scully administers nicotine to Mulder, who in turn recovers, albeit with a sore throat, as well as a minor addiction to nicotine, which drove him to buy a pack of Morley cigarettes for himself. However, upon some chiding by Scully, he throws them out, but then stares at them pensively after she leaves.[1]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The episode deals with the theme of the "corporate evil that populates the cigarette industry".
Originally, the premise of the episode was supposed to be about "the horrifying aspects of over-eating".[2] However, since the previous episode "Hungry" had dealt with similar themes, the writing staff decided to take the conceit in a different direction and examine the "corporate evil that populates the cigarette industry".[2] The episode's writers, Steven Maeda and Greg Walker, were both admitted fans of the The Insider, a 1999 film that examines the tobacco industry, and so the two decided to create an episode with a similar feel.[2] Marc Shapiro, in his book All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6, noted that the episode was "literally, torn from the headlines"—a rare occurrence for an X-Files episode.[3]
Because both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were busy adding the finishing touches to their own episodes—"Hollywood A.D." and "all things", respectively—the writers struggled with a way to create a convincing story, but not force Mulder and Scully to be in every scene. The two eventually decided that causing Mulder to get sick in acts three and four would free up Duchovny for his episode. Walker noted, "Mulder getting sick in Act Two and being in a hospital bed for Acts Three and Four was the direct result of his limited amount of time. It was easier to shoot a bunch of stuff of him in bed then having him have to be in a lot of different locations."[2]
Filming[edit]
In order to match the episode's theme of smoking, production designer Corey Kaplan was tasked with creating an overall yellow and brown color scheme for the episode. In this manner, each scene was given "a perpetually smoky look".[2] Kaplan, who had worked together with episode director Kim Manners, had the idea to "enhance" Morley Cigarette's corporate offices with "long hallways and sets heavy on texture and grit" in order to compliment the aforementioned color scheme.[2]
The scenes featuring shots of beetles crawling out corpses were shot and filmed using real insects as well as real actors. In particular, the scene wherein the Complaining Man is discovered dead, over 3,000 live bugs were shot crawling on the body of Mike Hungerford, the portraying actor. Producer Harry Bring noted that the bug scenes were tedious and hard to film because "bugs don't take directions very well, so you pretty much have to wait until they decided to get it right."[2] Although the shots of the bugs were considerably brief in the final episode, the scenes required a full day of shooting to get perfect. The shots of bugs crawling out of Daniel Brimley's mouth and the shots of the bugs being sucked out of Mulder were created via a combination of CGI and "dummy bugs".[2]
Reception[edit]
"Brand X" first aired in the United States on April 16, 2000.[4] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 6.8, with a 10 share, meaning that roughly 6.8 percent of all television-equipped households, and 10 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[5] It was viewed by 10.81 million viewers.[5] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on July 16, 2000 and received 0.75 million viewers, making it the most watched episode that week.[6] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Tonight the terror is inside. Deep inside."[7]
Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a moderately positive review. He wrote that "this wasn't the most riveting X-File I've ever seen and there wasn't a tremendous amount of heart-pounding tension from beginning to end [...] but that didn't bother me. Sometimes, just being entertained is enough."[8] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.[9] Vitaris concluded that the episode was "not the series' most exciting episode, but a solid story with interesting characters used well in the service of the plot"[9] Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote positively of the episode, saying, "'Brand X' benefits from a certain unpredictability in its plot and characters. The menace is unusual, and imaginatively conceived. The tobacco company and its employees display a degree of complexity, rather than merely serving as one-dimensional villains in a public-health morality play."[10]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "C".[11] He called it a "hodge-podge of various elements that have worked in the past but feel beyond tired now".[11] He was largely critical of the episode's story, which he felt was a rip-off of The Insider, as well as the make-up effects for the episode, which he called "fairly fake" looking.[11] VanDerWerff, however, was complimentary towards Tobin Bell's performance, calling him "charismatic and interesting", as well as the fact that he plays "a great schemer".[11] Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Tobacco beetles, dismembered noses and some really bad second-hand smoke permeate this installment, but it gets snuffed out with a lazy payoff."[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-and-a-half stars out of five.[13] Despite praising the plot, writing "it's a great premise, with lots of gore and larvae", the two lament its loss in direction: "halfway through, once the episode reveals what its concept is, the story is left with nowhere to go."[13]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 217–226
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Shapiro, p. 227
3.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 226
4.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
6.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e July 10–16, 2000", listed under Sky 1
7.Jump up ^ Brand X (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
8.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 129-131
9.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
10.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (28 July 2000). "The X-Files - 'Brand X'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c d VanDerWerff, Todd (February 2, 2013). "'all things'/'Brand X' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
12.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 222
BibliographyKessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Brand X" at the Internet Movie Database
"Brand X" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
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Hollywood A.D.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Hollywood A.D."
The X-Files episode
A man and a woman stare in horror during a movie showing.
Mulder and Scully, aghast, watch the finished film, "The Lazarus Bowl." Many critics commented on the "self-reflexive" tone of the episode, facilitated by use of the movie.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 19
Directed by
David Duchovny
Written by
David Duchovny
Production code
7ABX18
Original air date
April 30, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Garry Shandling as Himself
Téa Leoni as Herself
Wayne Federman as Himself
Paul Lieber as Micah Hoffman
Bill Dow as Chuck Burks
Tim Roe as Zombie
Barry K. Thomas as Sugar Bear
Tina M. Ameduri as Tina the Craft Service Woman
Bill Millar as Director[1]
Minnie Driver as Audience member
David Alan Grier as Audience member[2]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Brand X" Next →
"Fight Club"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Hollywood A.D." is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on April 30, 2000. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Hollywood A.D." earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.7, being watched by 12.88 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode was met with largely positive reviews, with many critics approving of the episode's humorous nature.
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, Wayne Federman, an entrepreneurial Hollywood producer and college friend of Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) picks up the idea for a film based on the X-Files, however Mulder and Scully find that the level of realism in their fictional portrayal is somewhat questionable. Meanwhile, during the filming of the movie, Mulder and Scully research the mysterious "Lazarus Bowl", an artifact that supposedly has the words Jesus Christ spoke when he raised Lazarus from the dead.
"Hollywood A.D." was written and directed by series star David Duchovny, his second writing and directing credit after the sixth season episode "The Unnatural." The episode—written with a "self-reflexive" tone—features a myriad of guest stars, including, most notably, Garry Shandling and Téa Leoni, who portray Mulder and Scully, respectively, in the episode's fictional movie. The episode itself contains several in-jokes and references deliberately placed by Duchovny.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and filming
2.2 Casting
3 Broadcast and reception
4 In popular culture
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Walter Skinner's old college friend, Hollywood producer Wayne Federman, is involved in a film project about the FBI. During Federman's research phase, Skinner gives him access to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who are investigating the attempted murder of Cardinal O'Fallon. Federman tags along and constantly interrupts the agents. While searching the catacombs of O'Fallon's church, Mulder finds the remains of Micah Hoffman, a missing 1960s counter-culturalist. Searching Hoffman's apartment, they find bombs and counterfeiting tools, as well as forged gospel of Mary Magdalene. Mulder and Federman return to the church and search the catacombs, finding several skeletons and pieces of the forged gospel. Federman wanders off and stumbles upon animated bones, who attempt to assemble a shattered piece of pottery. He panics and leaves the scene.
Mulder and Scully examine the pottery. Scully tells Mulder the story of "The Lazarus Bowl", in which the aunt of Lazarus had been making a clay bowl when Jesus Christ resurrected him. The words of Christ were then recorded in the grooves of the bowl, much like a phonograph record. Mulder brings the relic to Chuck Burks, who, after performing a sonic analysis, discovers voices in Aramaic; in one portion part of the audio, one man commands another to rise from the dead.
Mulder visits O'Fallon, who admits he bought the forged gospel from Hoffman, but believed it was real. Meanwhile, during Hoffman's autopsy, Scully experiences a vision wherein he comes back to life on the operating table and begins talking. Later, at the church, Scully sees a vision of Hoffman in Jesus' place on a large crucifix. Mulder arrests O'Fallon for Hoffman's murder, but Micah Hoffman walks in, unscathed. He tells the agent that while he initially created the forgeries to make money, he came to believe he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and bombed the church to get rid of the "blasphemous" forgeries. Skinner suspends Scully and Mulder for four weeks because of the mix-up. Sixteen months later, O'Fallon kills Micah Hoffman in a murder-suicide. As such, the X-File is never truly solved.
During their suspension, Mulder and Scully venture to Hollywood to view the production of Federman's film. It is revealed that Federman's movie will be called The Lazarus Bowl, and Garry Shandling will play Mulder and Téa Leoni will play Scully. After filming is done, Mulder and Scully attend a screening of the film with Skinner, but are thoroughly disgusted at how their case, and they, are portrayed on the big screen. The episode ends with dead people coming to life on the movie set, and Mulder and Scully holding hands, presumably on their way to dinner with the FBI credit card Skinner gave them after watching the movie, hinting at the continued romantic relationship between Mulder and Scully that has been suggested in the last few episodes.[1]
Production[edit]
"Hollywood A.D." was written and directed by series star David Duchovny.
Writing and filming[edit]
"Hollywood A.D." was written and directed by series star David Duchovny. The episode was written after Duchovny received positive feedback on his last creation, season six's "The Unnatural". Duchovny originally approached executive producer Frank Spotnitz about the possibility of writing another episode. Spotnitz gave him the go-ahead and was soon given a rough copy of the script. Series creator Chris Carter was very happy with the story, calling it "a smart, [...], quirky, and intelligent idea" and he later described it as "outside the norm, even for The X-Files."[3] Once the script was approved, Duchovny took on an active role in preparing for the episode.[3]
There was a considerable amount of stunt work and choreographing done for "Hollywood A.D." Two stunt doubles were hired for the scene where Shandling tackles Leoni and they tumble down a hill into an open casket. Some of the stunt men were even cast in non-stunt related jobs. Several were "transformed" into zombies, a process which took five hours. The zombie dance sequence at the end of the episode took two days to film. The first day was shot during active production and the second was scheduled for the blue screen work that was required.[2]
Casting[edit]
Duchovny cast several of The X-Files' technical crew members in the episode. Tina M. Amedrui, the show's actual craft services woman, portrayed Tina, the craft service woman for Wayne Federman's movie. Bill Roe, the show's photography director, was cast as the vegetarian zombie.[3] Assistant director Barry K. Thomas was cast as one of the men on the movie set, Paul Rabwin was cast as a producer, and special effects coordinator Bill Millar was cast as the movie's director.[2][3] Duchovny also cast his brother, Daniel, as the assistant director.[2] Several of the family members and friends cast by Duchovny were able to apply for their Screen Actor's Guild card and were able to apply for a health insurance plan.[4]
Téa Leoni, who portrayed a fictionalized version of herself portraying Scully in the production, was married to David Duchovny when this episode was filmed, a decision casting director Rick Millikan considered "clever."[2][5] Duchovny also cast his friend and fellow actor Garry Shandling as a fictionalized version of himself portraying Mulder. Shandling had originally been sought out to play the part of Morris Fletcher in the sixth season episode "Dreamland."[6] The joke about Garry Shandling having a crush on Mulder came from a recurring joke from the TV show The Larry Sanders Show, starring Shandling.[5] In the recurring joke, David Duchovny has a homosexual interest in Shandling's character.[5]
The joke about Mulder wanting Richard Gere to appear in the movie stemmed from the fact that Duchovny's acting was often compared to Gere's. Duchovny decided to turn the idea into a joke, saying, "we used to always have the joke on set that when they do the movie it's going to be Richard Gere and Jodie Foster [playing Mulder and Scully]. So I originally wrote the teaser for Richard Gere and Jodie Foster and I just started to think about it and you know, it's so much funnier with Garry and Téa."[7] The episode featured several uncredited celebrity cameos. During the premiere of the movie, both Minnie Driver and David Alan Grier appear as members of the audience. In addition, Chris Carter, the show's creator, made a cameo during the theater scene. The appearance was his second in the series.[2]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Hollywood A.D." first aired in the United States on April 30, 2000.[8] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 7.7, with a 12 share, meaning that roughly 7.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 12 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[9] It was viewed by 12.88 million viewers.[9] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on May 7, 2000 and received 0.80 million viewers, making it the second most watched episode that week.[10] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Garry Shandling as Agent Mulder? Teo Leoni as Agent Scully?"[11]
Critical reception to "Hollywood A.D." was mostly positive. The Montreal Gazette named the episode the sixth best stand-alone X-Files episode, writing that "Despite taxing our stomach for self-reflexive comedy, this David Duchovny scripted and directed episode manages to deliver some of the greatest laughs of the series."[5] Rob Bricken from Topless Robot named "Hollywood A.D." the seventh funniest X-Files episode.[12] Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode a B, slightly criticizing the dancing zombies at the end of the episode.[13] Sarah Kendzior from 11th Hour Magazine wrote that, "My favorite [episode] this year may well be 'Hollywood A.D.', an ambitious, often ingenious and occasionally flawed sophomore effort concerning the entertainment industry, religion, and pretty much everything in between."[14] Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "[the] scene from the 'movie' where Shandling/Mulder faces off against The Cigarette Smoking Pontiff, and his army of sniper zombies, is classic stuff, and earns 'Hollywood A.D.' high marks."[15] Kenneth Silber from Space.com, while criticizing the episode for reveling in parody, noted that the episode was entertaining, writing, "'Hollywood A.D.' is a parody and, as such, will be unsatisfying to the many X-Files viewers, including this long-suffering reviewer, who'd like to see the series culminate in a dramatic, multi-episode denouement of its 'mythology arc'. Nonetheless, this episode has merit as a witty and imaginative parody."[16]
Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a relatively positive review. He wrote, "'Hollywood A.D.' was Duchovny's nudge-nudge, wink-wink writing-directing effort for this season. [...] Duchovny did not fail to deliver an episode that truly reflected his own wit and intelligence. All the while remaining true to the spirit of the show that made him famous."[17] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+", and wrote that it "is muddled and frequently so in love with just being weird for weird’s sake that everybody forgets we need at least a little justification to pull everything together in the end."[18] He also called it "a hard episode not to love, frankly." Handlen felt that the humor and sweetness helped to make the episode a success. He also wrote that Mulder and Scully's dynamic worked towards the episode's favor.[18]
In popular culture[edit]
On the "Killer Cable Snaps" episode of the popular science television series MythBusters, which aired on October 11, 2006, the possibility that audio could be transcribed onto pottery was tested. Clips from "Hollywood A.D." were shown during the segment.[19]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 229-240
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 241
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro, p. 240
4.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 81
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Top drawer Files: the best stand-alone X-Files episodes". The Montreal Gazette (Postmedia Network). 24 July 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Meisler, p. 64
7.Jump up ^ Carter, Chris, et al (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
8.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
10.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e July 17–23, 1999", listed under Sky 1
11.Jump up ^ Hollywood A.D. (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
12.Jump up ^ Bricken, Rob (13 October 2009). "The 10 Funniest X-Files Episodes". Topless Robot. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
13.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Big Primping". Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
14.Jump up ^ Kendzior, Sarah (30 April 2000). "The X-Files "Hollywood A.D."". 11th Hour Web Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
16.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (1 May 2000). "Mulder and Scully Pay X-Files Visit to 'Hollywood A.D.'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
17.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 131
18.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (February 9, 2013). "'Hollywood A.D.'/'Fight Club' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
19.Jump up ^ "Killer Cable Snaps". MythBusters. Season 4. Episode 19. 11 October 2006. Discovery Channel.
BibliographyKessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 5. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107595-7.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 7
"Hollywood A.D." at the Internet Movie Database
"Hollywood A.D." at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Categories: 2000 television episodes
The X-Files (season 7) episodes
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Portrayals of Jesus on television
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Fight Club (The X-Files)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
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"Fight Club"
The X-Files episode
A man and a woman stand in the background, a woman stands in the foreground.
Two FBI agents who look like Mulder and Scully visit Betty Templeton. The two agents were played by Steve Kiziak and Arlene Pileggi—David Duchovny's stunt double and Mitch Pileggi's wife, respectively.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 20
Directed by
Paul Shapiro
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
7ABX20
Original air date
May 7, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Kathy Griffin as Betty Templeton/ Lulu Pfeiffer
Randall "Tex" Cobb as Bert Zupanic
Art Evans as Argyle Saperstein
Jack McGee as Angry Bob
Rob Van Dam as Opponent
Gene LeBell as Bartender
Arlene Pileggi as Women Who Looks Like Scully
Steve Kiziak as Man Who Looks Like Mulder
Cory Blevins as Missionary #1
Brian Chenoweth as Missionary #2
Jim Hanna as Koko's Manager #2[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hollywood A.D." Next →
"Je Souhaite"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Fight Club" is the twentieth episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, 2000. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Paul Shapiro, and featured a guest appearance by Kathy Griffin. The episode plot serves as a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Fight Club" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.9, being watched by 11.70 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly negative 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 this episode, Mulder and Scully cross paths with a pair of doppelgangers whose close proximity yields unlimited mayhem. Splitting up, the agent tries to find out "why" and "what" they are doing.
"Fight Club" was inspired by a "long-lost nugget" of a story that series creator Chris Carter had thought up awhile back about "mis-matched twins that had an almost nuclear reaction when they were around each other." Steve Kiziak and Arlene Pileggi—David Duchovny's stunt double and Mitch Pileggi's wife, respectively—were chosen to play the Mulder and Scully look-alikes at the start of the episode. "Fight Club" contained several scenes of intense action that necessitated the use of various stunt doubles and extras.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Casting
2.3 Filming and effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
In Kansas City, two Mormon missionaries visit two women at two different homes in the same neighborhood that look exactly alike. The second woman yells at them to go away and the two men, inexplicably, get into a fight in the second woman's front yard. Later, two FBI agents that look and sound remarkably similar to Mulder and Scully visit the first woman, Betty Templeton (Kathy Griffin). Betty claims to have never seen the other woman before. The other woman then passes her by in a car and the two agents begin fighting each other, much like the missionaries. They are severely injured after the gruesome mauling. Both agents, who had worked together for seven years, said that they were possessed. Meanwhile, the other woman, Lulu Pfeiffer (also Kathy Griffin), applies for a job at Koko's Copies, but does not get it because she has had 17 jobs in 17 states in the past three years and moves around too much. She becomes aggravated and suddenly, all the copies become black. The other woman, Betty, goes to another job with the same name and same resume.
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) begin to investigate the case. Later, in a bar, a man by the name of Bert Zupanic (Randall "Tex" Cobb) comes across Betty. Moments later, Lulu walks into the bar and an earthquake occurs that breaks all the glass in the bar. Lulu then runs out. Mulder finds out through a man named Argyle Saperstein (Art Evans) that Zupanic and one of the women are in a relationship and that Zupanic is a professional wrestler. Scully finds that for the past 12 years the women have followed each other across 17 states and left mayhem in their wake. Saperstein calls Zupanic and it is revealed that Zupanic owes Saperstein money. In addition, Betty and Bert have been in a relationship, but he has been having an affair with Lulu. A second earthquake occurs as Lulu prepares to walk in on Zupanic and Saperstein exchanging money. After Betty emerges from the bathroom, the two see each other and the glass in the building begins breaking. Zupanic is knocked unconscious and Saperstein takes the money and leaves.
Mulder and Scully decide to split up and interrogate the doppelgangers. Betty tells Mulder that Lulu is causing all of the problems and forcing her to leave, while Lulu tells Scully the same thing. Later, the two look-alikes pass each other and a sewer grate blows open, sucking Mulder into the storm drain and sealing him in. Scully finds that the girls share the same father, a man by the name of Bob Damphouse, who is in prison. Damphouse is revealed to be mentally insane, and is always in a fit of rage. Eventually, Mulder finds his way out of the storm drain. At the prison, Scully meets a man that looks exactly like Bert Zupanic. Lulu and Betty meet at a stadium and everyone in the audience breaks into a fight. The other Bert Zupanic shows up and everyone stops fighting. The two Zupanic's see each other and a fight breaks out again. The episode ends with Mulder and Scully shown bruised and beaten.[1]
Production[edit]
The episode guest starred Kathy Griffin, who played both Lulu and Betty Templeton.
Writing[edit]
The inspiration for "Fight Club" was a "long-lost nugget" that series creator Chris Carter had thought up awhile back. He explained, "I had this idea for a long time to do a story about mis-matched twins that had an almost nuclear reaction when they were around each other."[2] Carter began to write the episode at the same time as the pilot for the X-Files spin-off, The Lone Gunmen. Because of the "insanity" in juggling two scripts at once, many more "crazy" elements made it into "Fight Club". When executive producer Frank Spotnitz first looked at the script, he noted that "[the episode] had an odd tone. It felt like a wild show."[2]
Casting[edit]
The casting for the episode was reportedly hectic. Rick Millikan, the show's casting director, cast noted boxer-turned-actor Randall "Tex" Cobb as Bert Zupanic and comedian Kathy Griffin—who had previously starred in the NBC comedy Suddenly Susan—as the doppelgangers. Two real wrestlers, Gene LeBell and Rob Van Dam, were hired to play the parts of the bartender and Zupanic's opponent, respectively. Near the beginning of the episode, two FBI agents who bear a striking resemblance, in both physical appearance and voice, to Mulder and Scully appear.[2] These characters were played by Steve Kiziak and Arlene Pileggi. Kiziak had previously served as David Duchovny's stunt double since the third season episode "2Shy".[2][3] Pileggi is the wife of Mitch Pileggi, who portrayed Walter Skinner on the show. Duchovny and Anderson later dubbed their voices for the lines that the two look-alike FBI agents say.[2]
Jack McGee was cast as Bob Damfuse—referred to colloquially as "Angry Bob"—the father of the half-sisters with a severe anger issue.[1] During rehearsals for his scene, McGee purposely kept his voice down to prevent a severe headache. He recalled, "I remember the director [Paul Shapiro], he wanted me to scream during rehearsal, and I was, like, 'Look, you don’t understand: If I do this, I’m gonna have a headache in 30 fucking seconds.'"[4] The scenes were rehearsed about five or six times before the actual tape was filmed.[4]
Filming and effects[edit]
First-time X-Files director Paul Shapiro was tasked with directing the episode. Many of the physical effects in the episode were coordinated by Danny Weselis, who noted that the episode contained several scenes featuring extensive stunt work. He explained, "during the bar explosions we had a room full of stunt people showered with broken glass. And we used stunt people for much of the missionary and special agent fights."[2] The final scene, featuring a stadium full of people attacking each other after the Templetons make an appearance, was filmed at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Several hundred extras were contacted via ads on the internet and in select publications. The scene took two days to completely film. The crowd supplemented sixteen stuntmen and over 200 cardboard cutouts to give the stadium a filled-out feel. In order to create a mock fight, staff members gave the several hundred extras soft props to hit each other with. Producer Harry Bring later noted, "a few of [the audience] members got carried away and we had to tell them to settle down."[2] During the finished episode, a split screen was inserted as a way to enhance the scene and allow the viewer to "focus on various angles of action".[2]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Fight Club" first aired in the United States on May 7, 2000.[5] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 6.9, with a 11 share, meaning that roughly 6.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[6] It was viewed by 11.70 million viewers.[6] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on July 30, 2000 and received 0.67 million viewers, making it the third most watched episode that week.[7] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "They say everyone has a double out there somewhere."[8]
Critical reception to "Fight Club" was largely negative. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "D–"; he called it "dire stuff" and wrote that "there’s something rancid about forced quirk; it’s rotten and smug".[9] Handlen both criticized Griffin's inability to portray two separate characters, as well as Carter's failure at writing a comedic script. He also felt that the "relentless self-awareness isn’t amusing anymore".[9] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a scathing review. He wrote "If it is indeed true that somewhere out in this vast world we all have an identical twin, I have but one wish for mine. I sincerely hope he was spared the hour of torture that 'Fight Club' imposed upon me."[10] Christina Brzustoski from 11th Hour Magazine opined that "Just when you thought The X-Files couldn't get a more grating guest star than Victoria Jackson, Chris Carter manages to top himself yet again with not one, but two, for the love of God, two Kathy Griffins in the Carter-penned episode 'Fight Club.' It's a safe bet this disjointed, lame episode will probably not be easily confused with the far superior David Fincher movie of the same name. But then the current state of The X-Files makes Elmo in Grouchland look like an Oscar contender."[11]
Kenneth Silber from Space.com was very negative towards the episode, saying, "This episode conveys a strong sense of a writer, director and actors merely going through the motions, collecting their sizable paychecks while running out the clock on the season and series. The plot is not compelling, the agents themselves seem not to take it seriously, and the doppelgangers around whom the action revolves are little more than ciphers."[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 one star out of five.[13] The two wrote, "'Fight Club' is a marker for a series that seems to want to die now, please. […] it's tonally one of the most atypical episodes the series ever made, conceived in spite and self-loathing and sheer exhaustion."[13] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a largely negative review and awarded it one star out of four.[14] Vitaris criticized the use of Kathy Griffin and asserted, "the guest cast is one of the worst ever. […] Griffin […] simply is not up to the task; she can not differentiate Betty and Lulu at all […] and she reads every line as if she were still on her cancelled sitcom."[14] i09 reviewer Cyriaque Lama named "The Kathy Griffin Twins" the tenth "Most Ridiculous X-Files Monsters of the Week", and derided her performance as the Templeton twins.[15]
Not all reviews were so negative. Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars and noted that "There are some great visual moments in Fight Club, and Chris Carter reveals an almost Vince Gilligan-side to him with his comic writing here."[16]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Shapiro, pp. 243–253
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Shapiro, p. 253
3.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson, pp. 88–89
4.^ Jump up to: a b Harris, Will (18 May 2012). "Common Law star Jack McGee on working with everyone from Vanilla Ice to Ron Howard". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
5.Jump up ^ The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Media notes). Fox. 1999–2000.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
7.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e July 24–30, 2000", listed under Sky 1
8.Jump up ^ Fight Club (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Handlen, Zack (February 9, 2013). "'Hollywood A.D.'/'Fight Club' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
10.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 136
11.Jump up ^ Brzustoski, Christina (May 2000). "The X-Files "Fight Club"". 11 Hour Web Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (8 May 2000). "Doppelgangers Wreak Havoc in X-Files 'Fight Club'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 224-225
14.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
15.Jump up ^ Cyriaque, Lamar (1 June 2011). "The 10 Most Ridiculous X-Files Monsters". i09. Gawker Media. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
16.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
BibliographyGradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1-55152-066-4.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Fight Club" at the Internet Movie Database
"Fight Club" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
"Brand X"·
"Hollywood A.D."·
"Fight Club"·
"Je Souhaite"·
"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
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Je Souhaite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Je Souhaite"
The X-Files episode
A woman covers an invisible body in yellow dust in order to see it.
Dana Scully uses yellow dust to see the invisible body of Anson Stokes. The scene required the use of various digital techniques like chroma keying and motion control.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 21
Directed by
Vince Gilligan
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
7ABX21
Original air date
May 14, 2000
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Paula Sorge as Jenn
Kevin Weisman as Anson Stokes
Will Sasso as Leslie Stokes
Paul Hayes as Jay Gilmore
Brett Bell as Morgue Attendant[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Fight Club" Next →
"Requiem"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Je Souhaite" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the seventh season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 14, 2000. It was written and directed by Vince Gilligan. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Je Souhaite" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.2, being watched by 12.79 million people in its initial broadcast, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. The title means "I Wish" in French.
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 encounter a man and his physically disabled brother who lead the agents to an indifferent genie whose willingness to grant wishes belies a deeper motive.
"Je Souhaite" was Gilligan's directorial debut. Originally, the script was supposed to be a "stark and scary" story, but Gilligan relented and wrote a humorous tale about a genie. The episode featured several elaborate "genie effects" that were created through digital technology; this included manipulating stock footage of former American president Richard Nixon and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. One scene in the episode required the producers to shut down eight blocks of downtown Los Angeles.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and directing
2.2 Special effects
3 Broadcast and reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Anson Stokes, an apathetic employee at a Missouri self storage facility, is yelled at by his boss to clean out an old and dusty shipping container. To his surprise, he finds a woman wrapped in a rug. His boss comes to check on him; while he is yelling for Anson, his mouth disappears. FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) speak with the boss, Jay Gilmore, after surgery to fix his mouth, which has left him disfigured and with a speech impediment. They question Stokes' brother Leslie at their mobile home, which inexplicably has a large boat in its tiny front yard. The woman from the storage container is in the Stokes brothers' kitchen. Mulder and Scully search the container and find old antiques and a picture of the previous owner with the woman from the apartment.
The woman, of course, is a jinn. Stokes is angry that he wasted his first two wishes; Stokes had previously wished for his boss to stop talking (which caused Gilmore's mouth to disappear) and for a boat. The boat, however, was not placed in water and Stokes is still forced to pay taxes on it. The genie suggests that Anson should give his physically handicapped brother the ability to walk as his third wish; but he instead wishes for the ability to turn invisible at will. Anson, in his invisible form, runs out into the street and is killed by a truck.
Scully does the autopsy on the invisible body by covering it in powder. Mulder, meanwhile, researches the owner of the container. He learns that the man in the picture was an extremely wealthy and lucky for a short period, before he died with a giant oversized penis. Mulder believes the woman in the picture is responsible for everything, and determines she is a jinniyah, or a female jinn. Mulder goes to the Stokes residence and asks Leslie to hand her over, presuming her to be kept in a box. It turns out, however, that she is not in the box, but back in the storage facility, where Mulder also finds pictures of the jinniyah next to Benito Mussolini in the 1930s and next to Richard Nixon in the 1960s, two men that had a lot of power and lost it in a bad way.
Leslie takes possession of the jinniyah and asks for his brother to be returned to life. Anson is returned, but in a decaying state, complete with injuries from the crash. Leslie's second wish is for Anson to talk, which results in Anson screaming at the top of his lungs and telling his brother that he is cold. Back at the morgue, Scully finds the body has disappeared and Mulder suspects it is because of Leslie's wish. They go to the Stokes residence and Anson blows the house up trying to light the stove in an attempt to warm up. Mulder questions Jenn, the jinniyah, who says she's 500 years old. According to her, she gained her powers after wishing for great power and long life from another genie. She also says that Mulder unrolled her so he now has three wishes of his own. Mulder wishes for peace on earth and she wipes out the entire human population. With his second wish, Mulder undoes his first wish. Mulder then writes down his third wish to be very specific. However, just before making the final wish, Scully helps Mulder realize that the power of a genie should not be used to force people to be good, and so he ultimately wishes for Jenn to be free.[1]
Production[edit]
I was beyond nervous. I was having hysterical diarrhea for weeks leading up to when I knew we were going to start production.
—Vince Gilligan, on the stress of directing[2]
"Je Souhaite" was the first episode Vince Gilligan directed
Writing and directing[edit]
The episode—whose title means "I wish" in French[3]—was written and directed by long-time X-Files contributor Vince Gilligan. Gilligan noted that, "from the very beginning I always had the intention of directing an episode, but I kept putting it off because I figured I didn't know enough."[4] Gilligan, however, soon learned directing techniques from his four-and-a-half years of experience on the show.[4][5] As season seven neared its end and the rumors that the season would be the show's last, Gilligan decided to finally direct an episode. After approaching series creator Chris Carter, an episode set to be written and directed by Gilligan was green-lit. Initially, Gilligan's first script was a "stark and scary" outing for the show. However, as the deadline for the script grew closer, he relented and decided to write a more humorous episode.[5]
In the DVD commentary for the episode, Gilligan revealed that he wrote the character of the genie, Jenn, with Janeane Garofalo in mind, but she was unavailable at the time of filming. However, he was ultimately very pleased with Paula Sorge's performance, stating "In fact, she was even better than how I had written the character. In Paula's audition, she came off like a world-weary wise-ass who was not only tough and smart, but had a heart of gold. She made it a really fun character." The casting process to find an actress for the part took so long that an idea Gilligan had to give the character double pupils had to be scrapped when the production team ran out of time to source them. Instead, she wore contacts over her already blue eyes to make them brighter, and a blue jewel on her cheekbone.[6]
After deciding upon the idea to use a genie, Gilligan approached Carter for feedback. Carter was impressed with the story, saying, "Vince had been playing around with somebody finding something in a storage locker. He played around with several different ideas and one day he came in with one idea of a genie and three wishes. The one thing I noticed right away was that the relationship between Mulder and the genie was very sweet."[5] After finalizing his script, Gilligan began to worry that he had "painted himself in a corner": "I did not intend to write a hard episode to direct [...] But before I realize it, I was blowing up a trailer, having a truck hit an invisible man, and all sorts of genie effects. [...] I looked at all the people on the set [...] and thought, 'Oh man, I'm going to be exposed as an impostor.'"[5] Luckily, the cast and crew helped the new director ease into his position. In addition, many of the members of production noted that the work environment under Gilligan was largely stress-free.[5]
Special effects[edit]
The scene that features Scully applying a yellow powder to the invisible body of Anson Stokes made use of various digital techniques. The first shot of the scene used a blue head cast of Kevin Weisman, the actor who portrayed Stokes. Gillian Anderson then added the yellow dust onto the cast. The second shot used motion control in order to match the film up exactly. Anderson then attempted to match her movements so that, when the two strips of film were combined, they would create the illusion of one complete scene. Finally, various close-ups of the blue head cast were filmed, with the blue color being removed via chroma keying. Paul Rabwin later called the scene "very effective."[7]
During the episode, Mulder shows Scully several bits of historical footage of Richard Nixon and Benito Mussolini that includes footage of the genie. In order to create the Nixon scene, the production crew used a real clip of Nixon, his wife, and daughter. The crew then cut a matte in order to replace certain parts; Nixon's daughter was removed to make room for the genie. Paula Sorge, who played Jenn, was then blue screened and the subsequent shot was "dirtied up" to properly age the film. The scenes were then combined.[8]
During the scene where Mulder wanders the deserted city, the production crew had to shut down eight blocks of downtown Los Angeles. The only practical way of doing this was to shoot on a Sunday morning. Filming the scene did not go as planned: a homeless person walked right through the "perfect take," according to producer Harry Bring. Luckily, using digital technology, the man was erased from the final cut of the scene .[5]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Je Souhaite" first aired in the United States on May 14, 2000.[9] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.2, with a 13 share, meaning that roughly 8.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 13 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode.[10] It was viewed by 12.79 million viewers.[10] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on August 6, 2000 and received 0.72 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched episode that week.[11] Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Be careful what you wish for."[12]
The episode received mostly positive reviews with one detractor. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A–" and called it his "favorite episode of season seven" and that he wished that "it had been the series finale" for The X-Files.[13] VanDerWerff argued that the episode possessed a "warmth and tenderness" that was missing from the following two seasons, after Duchovny left the series as a full-time star.[13] He concluded that "the genius of 'Je Souhaite' lies in how it embraces the inherent weirdness of the world this show is set in."[13] Rob Bricken from Topless Robot named "Je Souhaite" the second most funny X-Files episode, writing, "Best line: When Scully, ever the skeptic, begins trying to rationalize her examination of an invisible body, Mulder replies with an exasperated, 'Oh!' It's what most of us had been thinking for years about Scully's refusal to acknowledge all the strange crap she had seen."[14]
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.[15] The two praised the writing and noted that "if ['Je Souhaite'] had been the final stand-alone episode of the series, as it so easily might have been, it'd have been nevertheless appropriate. [...] it marks the end of an era; it's a perfect note of bliss which the series will never be able to capture again.[15] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.[16] She called Paula Sorge "one of the best guest actors of the season" and praised her acting, noting that she delivers her lines "with snap, bite, and wonderful dark humor."[16] Vitaris, however, did note that the episode "would have worked better if it had consisted of a half-hour encounter between Mulder, Scully, and Jenn, and ripped the guest cast of stereotypic poor Southerners.[16]
Not all reviews were positive. Kenneth Silber from Space.com wrote, "'Je Souhaite' offers a few laughs but little drama and no intellectual substance. The episode seems designed to stall for time while negotiations drag on over David Duchovny's contract and the series' future. X-Files viewers will wish for—and deserve—better material than this I Dream of Jeannie rehash."[17]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, pp. 255–264
2.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 180
3.Jump up ^ Shapiro, p. 262
4.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 264
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Shapiro, p. 265
6.Jump up ^ http://cleigh6.tripod.com/CTP/CTP-jesouhaite.html
7.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2003). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Dusting the Invisible Face (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
8.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2003). Special Effects with Paul Rabwin: Inserting Genie in Old Film (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
9.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro, p. 281
11.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e July 31-August 6, 2000", listed under Sky 1
12.Jump up ^ Je Souhaite (Promotional Flyer). Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c VanDerWerff, Todd (February 16, 2013). "'Je Souhaite'/'Requiem' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
14.Jump up ^ Bricken, Rob (13 October 2009). "The 10 Funniest X-Files Episodes". Topless Robot. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 225
16.^ Jump up to: a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
17.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (15 May 2000). "'Je Souhaite' Makes Us Wish for Better X-Files". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1-933784-80-6.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
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 7
"Je Souhaite" at the Internet Movie Database
"Je Souhaite" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
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The X-Files episodes
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Season 7
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"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
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"Requiem"
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Requiem (The X-Files)
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"Requiem"
The X-Files episode
A man stands above a spray-painted "X."
Mulder notices a mark he made in the road seven years ago. Fearing that the show was nearing its end, Chris Carter decided to bring back elements from the show's pilot episode to bring the show closure.
Episode no.
Season 7
Episode 22
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Chris Carter
Production code
7ABX22[1]
Original air date
May 21, 2000
Running time
44 minutes[2]
Guest actors
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
Leon Russom as Detective Miles
Amy Umberger as Special Agent Chesty Short
Peter MacDissi as Prison Guard
Laurie Holden as Marita Covarrubias
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
Eddie Kaye Thomas as Gary
Judd Trichter as Richie
Zachary Ansley as Billy Miles
Gretchen Becker as Greta
William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Richard Riehle as Shaw
Sarah Koskoff as Teresa Hoese
Darin Cooper as Ray Hoese
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Brian Thompson as Alien Bounty Hunter
Grace and Kelly Demontesquiou as Baby[3]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Je Souhaite" Next →
"Within"
List of The X-Files episodes
"Requiem" is the twenty-second episode and the seventh season finale of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the show's 161st episode overall. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. The episode was written by Chris Carter, and directed by Kim Manners. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "Requiem" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.9, being watched by 15.26 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Many applauded the way it made the series' increasingly marginalized alien mythology relevant again, although others lamented the partial loss of David Duchovny.
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. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully return to the site of their first investigation together when a series of abductions take place. However, Scully's failing health, and Mulder's concern that she is in danger, cause him to take her off the case. Meanwhile, the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis)—on his deathbed—reunites with Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden) and Alex Krycek in an attempt to revive the project.
"Requiem" was a story milestone for the series, featuring the alien abduction of Mulder. Mulder would appear sporadically in the next few seasons, only returning for about half of the episodes in season eight and only two lone episodes in season nine. Prior to being picked up for another season, however, many believed that the episode would serve as the series finale. As such, many elements from the show's pilot episode were brought in to bring the show closure and help it segue into a movie franchise.
Contents
[hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Background and writing
2.2 Casting and filming
3 Themes
4 Broadcast and reception 4.1 Ratings
4.2 Reviews
5 Notes
6 References 6.1 Footnotes
6.2 Bibliography
7 External links
Plot[edit]
In Bellefleur, Oregon, Detective Miles drives to the scene of a reported air crash in the forest. As Miles arrives, his car's electricity cuts out, causing it to crash. After exiting the vehicle, an injured Miles finds his deputy sheriff, Ray Hoese, unconscious in his police cruiser. Miles is suddenly confronted by a man identical to Hoese who is bleeding green fluid, indicating he is an Alien Bounty Hunter.
Later, in Tunisia, Marita Covarrubias arranges for the release of Alex Krycek from a penal colony. Upon returning to the United States, the two meet with the wheelchair-bound Smoking Man, who tells them that an alien craft has crashed in Oregon. The Smoking Man sees the crash as a chance to rebuild the Project, but claims that finding it will be complicated.
In Oregon, two teenage boys (Gary and Richie) are exploring the crash site when they encounter Deputy Miles, who denies any crash or the fire that was reported in the area. While they go through the area on their own, Gary is lifted off the ground and shaken like a rag doll by an invisible force, and Richie, although he stands within a few feet of him, can't see him. Meanwhile, in Washington, Fox Mulder receives a call from Billy Miles, an abductee from Bellefleur whom the agents investigated seven years prior. The younger Miles tells him about Hoese's disappearance, and his concern that the abductions have begun again.
The following morning, Mulder and Dana Scully arrive in Bellefleur, where they investigate the road where the incidents took place. Upon meeting Billy, they find he has become a local police officer. The agents also meet "Detective Miles", unaware that he is a disguised Bounty Hunter who has killed Billy's father. At the scene of Hoese's disappearance, Scully finds three bullet casings, indicating that the deputy fired his weapon before vanishing. The agents later speak with Hoese's wife and are surprised when she is revealed to be Theresa Nemman, one of the other 1993 abductees. Later, while going through case files, Scully becomes ill.
That night, Theresa is awakened by someone at her door. Mulder and Scully arrive at Theresa's house to find it being investigated by police, with Billy informing them that Theresa was taken in the night and that nobody knows what happened. Scully suddenly feels nauseous, much to Billy's concern, but she quickly shakes it off. Later, while investigating the reported crash site, Scully is lifted and shaken just as Gary was. Mulder finds her nearly passed out on the ground.
At the Miles family home, Billy, now highly suspicious, enters and pulls his gun on the man who appears to be his father. After the confrontation, Billy relinquishes his gun, at which point the other man physically morphs and reveals himself to be the Alien Bounty Hunter. At that point, Mulder and Scully pull up and walk into the house, unable to locate Billy or his father.
When the agents return to Washington, Walter Skinner approaches Mulder and Scully in their office, where they are joined by Marita and Krycek. Marita reveals that the Smoking Man is dying and that he wants to find the UFO in Oregon to restart the Project. Krycek informs them that the UFO is hidden behind an energy field. The group, along with the Lone Gunmen, find evidence pinpointing the UFO's location. Mulder makes it clear to Scully that he is concerned for her health and refuses to let her accompany him back to Oregon. Reciprocating his concern, Scully refuses to let Mulder return alone; Skinner accompanies Mulder instead.
While investigating the incident back in Washington, Scully and The Lone Gunmen find evidence that it was Mulder, not Scully, who would be in danger at the Oregon abduction site. However, immediately upon discovering this, Scully is taken ill, and The Lone Gunmen have her rushed to the hospital.
Returning to Oregon, Mulder and Skinner travel to the woods, equipped with lasers for finding the UFO. Noticing a spot where the lasers cease in mid-air, Mulder walks through the force field. He finds and joins a group of abductees, including Billy and Theresa, standing below a pillar of light from a UFO; they are soon accosted by the Bounty Hunter. Mulder is abducted with the group while a stunned Skinner witnesses the UFO's departure.
At the Watergate, Krycek and Marita come to visit the Smoking Man, who is already aware of his plan's failure but is resigned to his fate. With Marita holding back his assistant, Krycek wheels the Smoking Man out of the room and throws him down a flight of stairs, presumably killing him. After being hospitalized, Scully tells Skinner that, although she cannot understand it — and that it is important that he keep it secret — she is pregnant.[3]
Production[edit]
Background and writing[edit]
The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter (right).
"Requiem" was written by series creator Chris Carter.[1] While filming was underway for the seventh season, many members of the crew felt that the show had entered into its final season. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz later explained that "there was a pretty strong sentiment inside and outside the show that it was time to call it a day."[4] As the season progressed, however, the idea of producing another season emerged. Paul Rabwin explained that, "we found ourselves starting to get energized again. [...] As we got toward the end of the season, everyone was kind of hopeful."[5]
As such, when it came time to pen "Requiem", the producers found themselves at a crossroads. There were several ideas that were discussed on how to deal with the episode. The first idea was that "Requiem" could serve a series finale.[6] Another idea that emerged was that the episode could function as either a cliffhanger for an eighth season or an X-Files movie. During the drafting of the script, there were also talks of crafting a two-hour episode, but these ideas were quickly discarded.[6] The ending scene, featuring Scully revealing that she is pregnant, was written the day before it was filmed. Carter held it back because he did not want "the cat to get out of the bag."[7] This decision was made to prevent leaks and spoilers on the internet.[7]
"Someone had sent me some of those YouTube clips that people put together of all the intimate moments between Mulder and Scully. And a few things hit me; one was just the amount of tenderness there was between them. The looks of understanding into each others' eyes and the clarity that we were there for each other; and then there was the number of times we actually did touch hands, or kiss on the cheek or forehead or even on the lips at times. There was a lot of that."
—Gillian Anderson, on the relationship between Mulder and Scully.[4]
The episode attempted to bring closure to several aspects of the series. In one sequence, Alex Krycek throws The Smoking Man down a flight of stairs, presumably to his death. Nicholas Lea, the actor who portrayed Krycek, noted: "That's one of the character's great moments, when I get to push Bill Davis down a set of stairs. In a sense, he has nothing to lose because his life's burned out. So death doesn't have the same terror that it would to a young happy chap."[4] The episode also featured several tender moments between Mulder and Scully, which many fans found "nearly pornographic in the context of their long, chaste courtship", according to Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles in their book The Complete X-Files.[4] Gillian Anderson, however, defended the moments, arguing that there was ample amount of romance between Mulder and Scully prior to "Requiem".[4]
Casting and filming[edit]
A man with dark brown hair is smirking and looking near the camera.
"Requiem" saw the partial departure of David Duchovny's character Fox Mulder by way of alien abduction.
Because there was still a chance that the seventh season may have been the show's last, the character of Billy Miles, played by Zachary Ansley and who originally appeared in the pilot episode, was brought back in and featured in "Requiem" to bring the series full-circle.[4][8] Ansley would also appear in several eight season episodes as well.[8] After the conclusion of the episode, David Duchovny expressed his desire to leave the series. He explained, "I was kind of a free agent after season seven, and to me, there was not much else to do in terms of the character. So it was really about me wanting to pursue other parts of my career as a writer, director, and actor."[4] Rumors began spreading—and were eventually confirmed—that, since Duchovny had not expressed an interest to appear as a main character in the eighth season, that another character would take Mulder's place. Many fans on the internet believed that Mitch Pileggi, who portrayed Walter Skinner, would take the role; Pileggi later called this guess "ridiculous."[6]
The episode was directed by Kim Manners. Manners originally thought that Chris Carter would have wanted to direct the episode, in case the episode would have been the show's last. Originally, Carter planned on it, but eventually relented and asked Manners to direct the episode. Manners later noted that he felt "very honored" by this gesture.[7] Principal shooting for the episode began on April 20, 2000 on Soundstage 5 at the Twentieth Century Fox lot.[6] Filming at the studio ended on Day 4, and subsequently, the cast and crew relocated to the mountains resort Big Bear, located near Big Bear Lake, California. The forests around the area provided an "ideal backdrop" for the bulk of the episode, which was supposed to take place in Oregon; the setting for both "Requiem" and the series pilot were supposed to take place in the same fictional city, Bellefleur.[9] However, in the pilot, the outdoor scenes had originally been shot on location in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve—formerly known as the Seymour Demonstration Forest.[10] Since production had moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles after the conclusion of the fifth season, a local California location was needed to stand in for Oregon.[9]
The episode featured several elaborate effects, created through both digital and physical means. The scene wherein Scully encounters the alien forcefield was created by means of using a harness that hoisted Anderson into the air. Special effects producer Bill Millar created many of the special effects for the episode—including shots of the alien craft as well as its interaction with people—in a building in Big Bear.[9] The episode contains a shot of Detective Miles morphing into the alien bounty. In order to create the scene, various shots of Leon Russom and Brian Thompson were spliced together via blue screen technology. Producer Paul Rabwin called the shot "one of the best morphs we've ever done."[11]
Themes[edit]
The scene in Skinner's office is a reference to The Last Supper, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci
"Requiem" explores Mulder's desire to leave his pursuit of the truth behind him. Michelle Bush, in her book Myth-X notes that the episode's theme, in a colloquial sense, is Mulder's "realization that maybe it's time to get out of the car".[12] The irony of the episode, however, is that as soon as Mulder discovers absolute proof of alien life, he is subsequently abducted and taken away.[12]
While in Skinner's office, the camera angles and position of the characters reveals that the scene is intended to be a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper. Skinner is standing in Saint Peter's spot, and Scully is standing in Judas Iscariot's place. Bush argues that, in this manner, the show is suggesting that Scully, like Judas, directly affects the fate of the savior, in this case Mulder. She notes that Scully's actions result in a fate that "could not be realized without her participation".[13] This is not the first time Scully has been compared to Judas in the show; in the previous seventh season episode "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"—which is heavily based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel The Last Temptation of Christ—features Scully in a role with direct literary parallels to Kazantzakis's heroic interpretation of Judas.[14]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
"Requiem" first aired on Fox in the United States on May 21, 2000.[1] This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 8.9, with a 14 share, meaning that roughly 8.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 14 percent of households watching television, were tuned into the episode.[15] It was viewed by 15.26 million viewers.[15] "Requiem" marked a 3.8 percent decrease in viewers from the sixth season finale, "Biogenesis"[nb 1] and a 14.4 percent decrease from the seventh season premiere, "The Sixth Extinction."[nb 2] The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky1 on August 13, 2000 and received 1.00 million viewers, making it the most watched episode that week.[17] On May 13, 2003, the episode was released on DVD as part of the complete seventh season.[18] Two years later the episode was included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization, a DVD collection that contains episodes involving the alien colonists.[19]
Reviews[edit]
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+".[20] He argued that the episode was "the best season finale cliffhanger the show ever did", and compared it to the second season finale "Anasazi"; he noted that while the latter episode was "pretty amazing", "Requiem" has "a finality" to it and a "sense that nothing will ever be the same" that made its cliffhanger ending work.[20] VanDerWerff also wrote that the nods to the pilot episode helped to show how far the series had evolved in seven years.[20] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a largely positive review. Despite lamenting the loss of Fox Mulder, he noted that "the truth is The X-Files has been a show like no other and 'Requiem' proved once again there truly is a place for magic and beauty and love on the small screen and I am delighted to have witnessed it for seven seasons now."[21] Kessenich later named the episode one of the "Top 25 Episode of All Time" of The X-Files, ranking it at number 20.[22]
Kenneth Silber from Space.com called the episode "intriguing" and felt that while "The X-Files "foundered" for a large portion of its seventh season, "Reqieum" marked "a much-needed return to that mythology," and that it set "the stage for what might be an interesting eighth season."[23] Rich Rosell from DigitallyObsessed.com awarded the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that "A lot of characters out of the woodwork come back for the season-ending cliffhanger [...] But that's all window-dressing for a trio of big surprises that wrap up Season 7, in what many consider the show's death knell, or perhaps just a proper ending."[24] 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.[25] The two noted that, despite the fact that it capped-off a "lacklustre [sic]" season, the episode still managed to provided a good enough cliffhanger to hold fans until the premiere of the eighth season. Shearman and Pearson further noted that "against the odds, after all the disappointments of the year, 'Requiem' is strong enough to leave its audience wanting more."[25]
Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a more mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[26] Despite noting that the episode was "the best mytharc episode and season finale in years", she called the episode's finale "one of the most egregious missteps yet in The X-Files mythology".[26]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Biogenesis" was viewed by 15.86,[15] whereas "Requiem" was viewed by 15.26 million viewers.[15] Subtracting the two figures and then dividing them by 15.86 million, which represents the largest possible audience, yields a percent decrease of 3.8 percent.
2.Jump up ^ "The Sixth Extinction" was viewed by 17.82 whereas,[16] "Requiem" was viewed by 15.26 million viewers.[15] Subtracting the two figures and then dividing them by 17.82 million, which represents the largest possible audience, yields a percent decrease of 14.4 percent.
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (Liner notes). Fox.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files, Season 7". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Shapiro (2000), pp. 266–277.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Hurwitz and Knowles (2008), p. 180.
5.Jump up ^ Shapiro (2000), p. 277.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d Shapiro (2000), p. 278.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Carter, Chris, et al (2000). The Truth Behind Season 7 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Frank Spotnitz (Writer) (6 June 2006). DeadAlive: Episode Commentary (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Shapiro (2000), p. 270.
10.Jump up ^ Gradnitzer and Pittson (1999), pp. 26–27.
11.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2000). Bounty Hunter Morph (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Bush (2008), p. 144.
13.Jump up ^ Bush (2008), p. 145.
14.Jump up ^ Donaldson (2007), p. 19.
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Shapiro (2000), p. 281.
16.Jump up ^ Meisler (2000), p. 294.
17.Jump up ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2011. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e August 6–13, 20000", listed under Sky 1
18.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. (2006). The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
19.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. (2005). The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
20.^ Jump up to: a b c VanDerWerff, Todd (February 16, 2013). "'Je Souhaite'/'Requiem' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
21.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 141.
22.Jump up ^ Kessenich (2002), p. 217.
23.Jump up ^ Silber, Kenneth (27 October 2000). "'Requiem' Resurrects X-Files Mythology". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
24.Jump up ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
25.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson (2008), p. 227.
26.^ Jump up to: a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique 32 (3): 18–37.
Bibliography[edit]
Bush, Michelle (2008). Myth-X. Lulu. ISBN 9781435746886.
Donaldson, Amy (2007). "The Last Temptation of Mulder". In Yang, Sharon. The X-Files and Literature: Unweaving the Story, Unraveling the Lie to Find the Truth. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781847182395.
Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 9781551520667.
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 9781933784724.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examinations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781553698128.
Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 5. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061075957.
Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061076114.
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 7
"Requiem" at the Internet Movie Database
"Requiem" at TV.com
[hide]
v·
t·
e
The X-Files episodes
Seasons: 1·
2·
3·
4·
5·
6·
7·
8·
9
Season 7
"The Sixth Extinction"·
"The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati"·
"Hungry"·
"Millennium"·
"Rush"·
"The Goldberg Variation"·
"Orison"·
"The Amazing Maleeni"·
"Signs and Wonders"·
"Sein und Zeit"·
"Closure"·
"X-Cops"·
"First Person Shooter"·
"Theef"·
"En Ami"·
"Chimera"·
"all things"·
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"Requiem"
Categories: The X-Files (season 7) episodes
2000 television episodes
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This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 20:27.
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