X Files season 9 wikipedia pages part 1

 

The X-Files (season 9)

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

The X-Files (season 9)
Xfilesseason9.jpg
Region 1 DVD cover
 
Country of origin
United States
No. of episodes
20
Broadcast

Original channel
Fox
Original run
November 11, 2001 – May 19, 2002
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1
May 11, 2004
Region 2
June 7, 2004
Region 4
July 27, 2004
Season chronology

← Previous
Season 8
Next →
I Want to Believe

List of The X-Files episodes
The ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 11, 2001, concluded on May 19, 2002, and consists of twenty episodes. Season nine takes place after Fox Mulder's leave after the events of the eight season finale, "Existence". Mulder is in hiding during the whole season, with the exception of the series finale, "The Truth".
Season nine received mixed to positive reviews by critics but garnered overwhelming negative reaction from many long-time fans and viewers, partially because David Duchovny did not make regular appearances on the show, after fulfilling his contract in the previous season. Duchovny appeared in only two episodes this season. Previous recurring characters Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) were billed as main characters for this season, which follows Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Reyes on their hunt to reveal a government conspiracy who are creating "Super Soldiers".
Series creator Chris Carter believed that the show could continue for another ten years with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned again. During the airing of season eight, Carter and The X-Files production team created and aired a spinoff titled The Lone Gunmen. The show was unsuccessful and was cancelled before any story arcs were resolved. The episode "Jump the Shark" was created to give closure to the series.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot overview
2 Production 2.1 Development
2.2 Casting
2.3 Crew
3 Reception 3.1 Ratings
3.2 Reviews
4 Cast 4.1 Main cast
4.2 Recurring cast 4.2.1 Also starring
4.2.2 Guest starring

5 Episodes
6 DVD release
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links
Plot overview[edit]
Main article: Mythology of The X-Files
After what happened during the season finale of season eight, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) goes into hiding. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is again re-assigned to the FBI Academy and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) becomes John Doggett's (Robert Patrick) new FBI partner at the X-Files office. Doggett asks Scully for help on a case involving an EPA official, Carl Wormus (Nicholas Walker), who died after his car was forced off a bridge by a woman he picked up. Doggett and Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) travel to a reclamation plant, to find any links between Wormus' work and death. After doing an illegal autopsy on Wormus, Alvin Kersh (James Pickens, Jr.) sends Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) to locate Doggett. The investigation at the reclamation plant leads to an unknown woman, whose identity is later found to be Shannon McMahon (Lucy Lawless), one of Doggett's former Marine associates. She reveals to Doggett that she is a "Super Soldier". This leads them to a clandestine laboratory where a secret experiment is taking place on board on a naval ship. They later find connections with the experiments on the ship to Scully's child, William.[1]
"The show has been Mulder's quest for the truth. It was that for seven years and for part of the eighth year. But I really think that with the introduction of John Doggett last year, [...] a baton was passed [...] literally he [Mulder] handed over the X-Files office to Doggett."
— Frank Spotnitz talking about the possibility of a "Mulder-less" season.[2]
Hopeful about reuniting with Mulder, a complete stranger offers his service to drive Mulder out of hiding. Scully takes the offer, but unknowingly gets herself and Mulder in even more danger. The "Shadow Man" (Terry O'Quinn), a government agent, follows Scully. It is then discovered that he is a "Super Soldier" bent on killing Scully and Mulder. As confirmed in this episode, a "Super Soldier"'s only weakness is magnetite, which leads to the death of the "Shadow Man".[3] Later on, Scully, Doggett and Reyes find evidence of a dangerous UFO cult which has found a second spacecraft similar to one Scully studied in Africa two years ago (as seen in "The Sixth Extinction"). Misled by the FBI, the agents enlist the help of The Lone Gunmen to protect Scully's son after they learn that the UFO cult apparently intend to kill the child.[4] Doggett is run over by a car, leading him to be sent to the local hospital. As Follmer and the "Toothpick Man" (Alan Dale) are trying to uncover the plans of the three agents, Scully and Reyes leaves Washington, D.C. to find Scully's son.[5]
Doggett finds a strange disfigured man in the X-Files office; believing he is Mulder, they test his DNA. The test reveals him to have the same pattern as Mulder. The disfigured man sticks a needle into William, which the other agents believe to be a virus of some kind, but is later revealed to be a cure for William's powers. The unnamed man is later unveiled to be Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens), Mulder's half-brother.[6] Mulder returns from hiding to only be discovered looking for classified information at an army base and, after allegedly killing an apparently indestructible "Super Soldier", he is placed on trial to defend the X-Files and himself. But with the help of Kersh, Scully, Reyes, Doggett, Spender, Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden) and Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka), Mulder breaks out. Mulder and Scully travel to New Mexico to find an old "wise man", who is later revealed to be the "Cigarette Smoking Man" (William B. Davis). The Smoking Man is later killed by commands from Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin). The series concludes with Skinner attempting to contact Kersh who has been forced to close down the X-Files. Doggett and Reyes are last seen driving off into the desert after aiding Mulder and Scully, who are now on the run from the FBI and are last seen together in a motel room facing an uncertain future.[7]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Before greenlighting a ninth season, neither the Fox Network nor any of the Ten Thirteen Productions members knew if creator Chris Carter would return for another season. While encouraging for the other members of the crew to continue without him, he was not sure. But with the encouragement from Carter, several crew members started to develop new scripts for the ninth season.[2] At the last second, Carter signed a contract with Fox for another year.[8]
"Jump the Shark" served as the series finale of the cancelled X-Files spin-off series The Lone Gunmen. David Duchovny returned to the show, and the opening credits, for the two-part series finale, "The Truth". This is rare as most regulars who return to a show are usually billed as "Special Guest Stars." This also marks the most number of cast members to be featured in the opening credits of the show.[9]
The show's crew and actors had much to say about the finale, "The Truth". Chris Carter said of the finale, "It's the end - you don't get another chance. So you'd better put everything you've ever wanted to put in into the episode. There were things to distract from what was going on. The band was breaking up." Actress Annabeth Gish said, "It did feel like a big movie set. We were on location, there was an enormous budget, and everyone came back." William B. Davis said, "It was great that they brought us all back in the finale, that they found a way to get us all in again." Actor Mitch Pileggi said, "I can remember the last day on the set. We shot a scene with Gillian and myself, and that was it. And then I had to say goodbye to another family, another crew. I almost teared up, and Gillian was standing there looking at me saying 'Okay, go ahead, big guy; get through this.' It was tough." Robert Patrick said, "It was pretty euphoric, and sad, and all those emotions you can imagine. A chapter's closing, and we're all moving on to something new and exciting. And yet we were all going to miss each other." Kim Manners called the final scene "truly one of the most emotional experiences I've ever witnessed in my life."[10] Former lead actor Duchovny said, "In some ways, psychically I didn't really leave. It was nice to be able to - I'm just really happy that I was able to come back and finish it."[11]
Casting[edit]
The style of the opening credits in "Nothing Important Happened Today" are changed, with the addition of Annabeth Gish and, after 8 seasons as a recurring character, Mitch Pileggi. As Pileggi was absent from the episode "Dæmonicus", the opening titles were altered and only featured Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick and Gish. This version was used for all the episodes in the season without Pileggi. Cary Elwes was cast to portray the new recurring character, Brad Follmer, an Assistant Director at the FBI. Chris Owens again played Jeffrey Spender, who had not made an appearance since the sixth season episode "One Son". Alan Dale was also written into the show as a new "villain". Lucy Lawless got the part of the "would be" recurring character Shannon McMahon, but she became pregnant after filming the season premiere, "Nothing Important Happened Today".[12]
"I have been busy for eight years and I just want to take some time off and figure out what I want to do next."[13]
— David Duchovny talking about returning to The X-Files for another season.
With the departure of Duchovny, the show garnered much criticism by fans and critics alike, saying the bond between Dana Scully (Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) was what actually kept the show together for the first seven seasons of the show.[14] Duchovny returned to The X-Files with "William", serving as a director and co-writer of the episode—the episode even featured a small cameo of him at the end.[15] Three episodes later, Duchovny returned as an actor for the series finale, "The Truth".[14]
After officially announcing that season nine would be the last of the series, Chris Carter and his crew opened negotiations with Duchovny. Initially, they were unsure if he would appear in the finale, since he directed and co-wrote "William". Duchovny later on decided to return to the show in the finale. Frank Spotnitz said, "My impression from talking to him was that he still cares about the show. He's still invested in it and certainly cares about [Mulder]. And I think he recognized that it was the best thing for the show and the audience [for him] to come back and give closure to nine years of the series."[14]
Crew[edit]
Series creator Chris Carter also served as executive producer and showrunner and wrote nine episodes, including the two-part season premiere and series finale, as well as important mytharc episodes. Frank Spotnitz continued as executive producer and wrote seven episodes, plus receiving story credit for an additional episode. Vince Gilligan continued as executive producer and wrote three episodes. John Shiban was promoted to executive producer and wrote two episodes, plus receiving story credit for an additional episode. David Amann was promoted to supervising producer and wrote two episodes. Steven Maeda was promoted to executive story editor and wrote two episodes. Former writer for The X-Files spin-off series The Lone Gunmen Thomas Schnauz joined the writing staff as a story editor and wrote two episodes. Cast member David Duchovny received story credit for a single episode.[16]
Kim Manners continued as co-executive producer and directed the most of episodes of the season with eight, including the two-part series finale. Tony Wharmby directed three episodes. Series creator Chris Carter directed two episodes. Co-executive producer Michelle MacLaren and series writer John Shiban each made their directorial debuts, directing one episode. Series writers Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan each directed an episode, after previously directing their first episodes the previous season. The remaining episodes were directed by Dwight Little, Cliff Bole, and cast member David Duchovny.[16]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The first episode of the season, "Nothing Important Happened Today", gathered 10.6 million viewers, whereas the second part gathered only 9.4 million viewers.[17] On May 19, 2002, the series finale, "The Truth", aired, and the Fox Broadcasting Company confirmed that The X-Files was not being renewed for a tenth season.[12] When talking about the beginning of the ninth season, Chris Carter said, "We lost our audience on the first episode. It's like the audience had gone away, and I didn't know how to find them. I didn't want to work to get them back because I believed what we are doing deserved to have them back."[18] "The Truth" received the highest Nielsen household rating and viewership numbers of the season. It earned a 7.5 rating[19] and gathered around 13 million viewers in the United States.[20] The loss of viewers in the ninth season resulted in a 30 percent drop in viewership when compared to the eighth season.[17]
Reviews[edit]
Sabadino Parker from PopMatters, when commenting on the series finale, said, "It's also for the good, because The X-Files has long been but a pale reflection of the show it once was."[21] Brian Linder from IGN was more positive to the ninth season, saying that the series could still have aired if the writers created a new storyline for Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish's character, which The X-Files crew did not do and continued what was seen by many critics as tiresome.[22] Aaron Kinney from Salon magazine was more negative to the new season, even joking about the new female lead, calling her a "peppy new female presence."[23] Entertainment Weekly reviewer Ken Tucker said the show operated in what he called "quaint territory", speculating that Chris Carter was the only one who seemed to understand the complex mytharc.[24] Elizabeth Weinbloom from The New York Times concluded with, "shoddy writing notwithstanding, it was this halfhearted culmination of what was once a beautifully complicated friendship", between Mulder and Scully, ended remaining interest in what was a "waning phenomenon".[25] Another review from The New York Times said of the show, "The most imaginative show on television has finally reached the limits of its imagination."[26] The A.V. Club listed the ninth season and the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe as the "bad apple" of The X-Files, describing the ninth season as "clumsy mish-mash of stuff that had once worked and new serialized storylines about so-called 'super soldiers'".[27]
Cast[edit]
The following actors and actresses appear in the season:[nb 1]
Main cast[edit]
Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully
Robert Patrick as Special Agent John Doggett
Annabeth Gish as Special Agent Monica Reyes
Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner (11 episodes)
David Duchovny as Fox Mulder (2 episodes)*
* ^ Although only appearing in the two-part series finale, Duchovny is listed in the opening credits. He also has a small uncredited cameo in "William", and appears in archive footage in "Trust No 1" and "Jump the Shark".[15]
Recurring cast[edit]
Also starring[edit]
James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh (7 episodes)
Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek (2 episodes)
William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man (1 episode)
Guest starring[edit]
Cary Elwes as Assistant Director Brad Follmer (6 episodes)
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike (5 episodes)
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers (5 episodes)
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly (5 episodes)
Alan Dale as Toothpick Man (4 episodes)
Adam Baldwin as Knowle Rohrer (3 episodes)
Jeff Gulka as Gibson Praise (2 episodes)
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully (2 episodes)
Lucy Lawless as Shannon McMahon (2 episodes)
Chris Owens as Jeffrey Spender (2 episodes)
Laurie Holden as Marita Covarrubias (1 episode)
Michael McKean as Morris Fletcher (1 episode)
Steven Williams as X (1 episode)
Episodes[edit]
See also: List of The X-Files episodes
Episodes marked with an double dagger (double-dagger) are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc.[nb 2]
The X-Files season 9 episodes

No. in
 series
No. in
 season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Production
 code[16]
U.S. viewers
 (millions)

183
1 "Nothing Important Happened Today"double-dagger Kim Manners Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz November 11, 2001 9ABX01 10.6[17]
John Doggett (Robert Patrick) begins his investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.) and search for Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). 
184
2 "Nothing Important Happened Today II"double-dagger Tony Wharmby Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz November 18, 2001 9ABX02 9.4[17]
Shannon McMahon, a former Marine associate of Doggett's, reveals to Doggett that she is a "Super Soldier". This leads them to a clandestine laboratory where secret experiments are taking place aboard a naval ship. 
185
3 "Dæmonicus" Frank Spotnitz Frank Spotnitz December 2, 2001 9ABX03 8.7[28]
With Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) reassigned to the Quantico Training Academy, Doggett and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) investigate their first X-File together – a series of satanic ritual murders. 
186
4 "4-D" Tony Wharmby Steven Maeda December 9, 2001 9ABX05 8.9[29]
A vicious murderer threatens Doggett and Reyes and then vanishes. Doggett is shot and Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) discovers that Reyes' gun was used. 
187
5 "Lord of the Flies" Kim Manners Thomas Schnauz December 16, 2001 9ABX06 9.9[30]
Scully, Doggett and Reyes investigate when a teenager dies while performing a daredevil feat for a television show, but his death is soon revealed to be caused by a disturbing family secret. 
188
6 "Trust No 1"double-dagger Tony Wharmby Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz January 6, 2002 9ABX08 8.4[30]
Scully is hopeful about reuniting with Mulder when a complete stranger offers new information about what drove him into hiding. Yet her trust in the stranger may place Mulder in even more danger. The tagline of this episode is "They're Watching." 
189
7 "John Doe" Michelle MacLaren Vince Gilligan January 13, 2002 9ABX07 8.7[31]
With no knowledge of his identity or his past, Doggett is found wandering a dusty Mexican town. While he struggles to piece together his memory, he finds himself embroiled in a smuggling plot. Across the border Scully and Reyes attempt to find him. 
190
8 "Hellbound" Kim Manners David Amann January 27, 2002 9ABX04 7.8[17]
Reyes takes the lead while investigating an X-File case surrounding a man found skinned alive. When she discovers that he had visions of a similar thing, she calls on Scully’s expertise to help with the investigation. 
191
9 "Provenance"double-dagger Kim Manners Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz March 3, 2002 9ABX10 9.7[32]
When rubbings from the spaceship resurface, the FBI hides its investigation from the X-Files. Meanwhile, Scully is forced to take drastic measures when she discovers a threat to William. 
192
10 "Providence"double-dagger Chris Carter Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz March 10, 2002 9ABX11 8.4[30]
Distrustful of both Skinner and Follmer, Scully circumvents the FBI's investigation into William's kidnapping and performs her own, assisted by Reyes and The Lone Gunmen. 
193
11 "Audrey Pauley" Kim Manners Steven Maeda March 17, 2002 9ABX13 8.0[30]
Awakening in a surreal hospital - which a companion believes to be Death's Waiting Room - after being hit by a car, a comatose Reyes struggles to wake herself up before her organ donor card is acted upon. 
194
12 "Underneath" John Shiban John Shiban March 31, 2002 9ABX09 7.3[17]
Doggett is determined to find an error in the DNA evidence that freed the convicted "Screwdriver Killer", whom he nearly caught in the act 13 years earlier. 
195
13 "Improbable" Chris Carter Chris Carter April 7, 2002 9ABX14 9.1[33]
In the race to catch a serial killer, Scully and Reyes find themselves relying on numerology, their powers of deduction, and a mysterious, card-playing stranger. 
196
14 "Scary Monsters" Dwight Little Thomas Schnauz April 14, 2002 9ABX12 8.2[30]
Special agent Leyla Harrison takes Reyes and Doggett on a drive into the mountains after a woman stabs herself repeatedly and her widowed husband refuses to let anyone see their son. 
197
15 "Jump the Shark" Cliff Bole Vince Gilligan & John Shiban & Frank Spotnitz April 21, 2002 9ABX15 8.6[30]
When Morris Fletcher approaches the agents with information related to the "Super Soldiers", they turn to The Lone Gunmen. But the Gunmen are already knee-deep in a bio-terrorist's plot which has links to the mysterious Yves Adele Harlow. 
198
16 "William"double-dagger David Duchovny Story by: David Duchovny & Frank Spotnitz & Chris Carter
Teleplay by: Chris Carter April 28, 2002 9ABX17 9.3[34]
Doggett finds a strange, disfigured man in the X-Files office and, on a whim of Scully's, they test his DNA. The surprising answers they find become even more surprising when William's life is put on the line. 
199
17 "Release" Kim Manners Story by: John Shiban & David Amann
Teleplay by: David Amann May 5, 2002 9ABX16 7.8[17]
When one of Scully’s students displays an inordinate ability to profile serial killers, his insights reopen the murder case of Doggett’s son, Luke. 
200
18 "Sunshine Days" Vince Gilligan Vince Gilligan May 12, 2002 9ABX18 10.4[35]
Doggett, Reyes, Scully and Skinner stumble on to a bizarre murder case where the main suspect is Oliver Martin (Michael Emerson), a man with an unusual obsession with The Brady Bunch. 
201
19 "The Truth"double-dagger Kim Manners Chris Carter May 19, 2002 9ABX19 13.0[20]
After not knowing Mulder's whereabouts for the last year, Skinner and Scully learn he's being held for the murder of a military man he couldn't possibly have killed: Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin), one of the government's secret "Super Soldiers". 
202
20 "The Truth II"double-dagger Kim Manners Chris Carter May 19, 2002 9ABX20 13.0[20]
Mulder breaks out of prison with help of Skinner, Reyes, Doggett, Scully and Alvin Kersh. Mulder and Scully travel to New Mexico where Black helicopters destroy an Anasazi cliff dwelling ruin along with the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). 
DVD release[edit]
The X-Files – The Complete Ninth Season
Set details[16] Special features[16]
20 episodes
7-disc set
1.78:1 aspect ratio
Subtitles: English, Spanish
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
 "The Truth About Season Nine" Documentary
Documentary on "The Truth"
Audio Commentaries (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) "Improbable" – Chris Carter
"Jump the Shark" – Vince Gilligan, Frank Spotnitz, John Shiban
"The Truth" – Kim Manners
9 special effects clips
10 deleted scenes
Character profiles
38 promotional television spots

Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
May 11, 2004 June 7, 2004 July 27, 2004
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Based on the season's official website as well as the credits for each episode.
2.Jump up ^ The episodes were included in the DVD collection The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, released by Fox.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Kim Manners & Tony Wharmby (directors). "Nothing Important Happened Today". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 19 & 20. Fox.
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Frank Discussion". The X-Files Magazine. February 2002. Retrieved on October 1, 2009.
3.Jump up ^ Tony Wharmby (director). "Trust No 1". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 6. Fox.
4.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (director). "Provenance". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 9. Fox.
5.Jump up ^ Chris Carter (director). "Providence". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 10. Fox.
6.Jump up ^ David Duchovny (director). "William". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 16. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (director). "The Truth". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 19 & 20. Fox.
8.Jump up ^ Spelling, Ian. (February 2002) "Doggett's Pursuit". The X-Files Magazine. Retrieved on October 1, 2009.
9.Jump up ^ Spotnitz, Frank, Gilligan, Vince & Shiban, John (2002). Audio Commentary for "Jump the Shark" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
10.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, pp. 208–209
11.Jump up ^ "'X-Files' Season Finale Airs Tonight". CNN. May 19, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Spotnitz, Frank, Gilligan, Vince, Shiban, John, Carter, Chris, Elwes, Cary, Patrick, Robert, Manners, Kim, MacLaren, Michelle, Kaplan, Corey, Beck, Mat, Rabwin, Paul, Mungle, Matthew, Amann, David, Montesanto-Medcalf, Cheri, Wash, John, Roe, Bill and Reynolds, Burt (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
13.Jump up ^ "Duchovny 'evolves' from Mulder". BBC News. June 21, 2001. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c KJN (March 5, 2002). "X-Files Gets Set to Jump the Shark". IGN. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Kessenich, p. 204
16.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Kessenich, p. 193
18.Jump up ^ Goodman, Tim (January 18, 2002). "'X-Files' creator ends Fox series". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
19.Jump up ^ Associated Press (May 2002). "Prime-Time Nielsen ratings". Associated Press Archive.
20.^ Jump up to: a b c "ARTS & TV in Brief 'Survivor: Marquesas' outwits the competition". Boston Herald (Herald Media): 48. May 5, 2002.
21.Jump up ^ Parker, Sabadino (May 15, 2002). "I Don't Believe It". PopMatters. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
22.Jump up ^ Linder, Brian (January 18, 2001). "X-Files Exits After 9 Seasons". IGN. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
23.Jump up ^ Kinney, Aaron (May 17, 2002). "The truth is, um, where, exactly?". Salon Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
24.Jump up ^ Tucker, Ken (November 16, 2001). "The X-Files (1993 - 2002)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
25.Jump up ^ Weinbloom, Elizabeth (June 2, 2002). "'THE X-FILES'; A Botched Romance". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
26.Jump up ^ "The Nearly Ex Files". The New York Times. October 10, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
27.Jump up ^ Adams, Sam, et al (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.
28.Jump up ^ "Primetime TV Rate Race". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). December 5, 2002. p. 11.
29.Jump up ^ "Primetime TV Rate Race". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). December 12, 2002. p. 26.
30.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Canton, Maj. "The X-Files – Series – Episode List – Season 9". TV Tango. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
31.Jump up ^ Murray, Steve (January 18, 2002). "'X-Files' Creator Plots Cliffhanger for Series Exit in May". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Cox Enterprises). p. E3.
32.Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 6, 2002). "Usual suspects dominate Post-Olympic TV Numbers". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). p. 6.
33.Jump up ^ Collins, Scott (April 10, 2002). "'CSI,' NCAA Spell CBS viewer win: NBC Holds Big Lead in 18-49 Demo; 'Late Night' Scores Big". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). p. 4.
34.Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia (April 30, 2002). "'Dead' rises on Sunday for CBS: Part 1 of Mini Helps Eye to Viewers Win, Tie with Fox in Demo". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). p. 6.
35.Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2002). "'Dinotopia' ABC Ratings Monster: Part 1 of Mini Trounces Rivals, Spurs Net to Sunday Victories". The Hollywood Reporter (Prometheus Global Media). p. 4.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
External links[edit]
Season 9 on TheXFiles.com
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
List of The X-Files episodes at the Internet Movie Database
List of The X-Files episodes at TV.com

[hide]
­v·
 ­t·
 ­e
 
The X-Files

 
Franchise
­The X-Files·
 ­Millennium·
 ­The Lone Gunmen·
 ­Merchandise  (Revelations·
 ­Literature·
 ­Comics)
  ·
 ­Ten Thirteen Productions
 
 
The X-Files

­Awards·
 ­Characters·
 ­Minor Characters·
 ­Monsters-of-the-Week·
 ­Episodes  (Season 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9)
  ·
 ­The X-Files·
 ­The X-Files: I Want to Believe·
 ­The X-Files Season 10
 
 
­Fox Mulder·
 ­Dana Scully·
 ­Walter Skinner·
 ­John Doggett·
 ­Monica Reyes·
 ­Brad Follmer·
 ­Alvin Kersh
 

 
Lone Gunmen

­Characters·
 ­Episodes
 
 
­Jimmy Bond·
 ­John Fitzgerald Byers·
 ­Melvin Frohike·
 ­Richard "Ringo" Langly
 

 
Games
­The X-Files Game·
 ­Resist or Serve·
 ­Unrestricted Access·
 ­The X-Files Collectible Card Game
 
 
Mythology
­Volume 1·
 ­Volume 2·
 ­Volume 3·
 ­Volume 4·
 ­"Smoking Man"·
 ­Colonists·
 ­The Lone Gunmen·
 ­Samantha Mulder·
 ­Jeffrey Spender·
 ­Deep Throat·
 ­Well-Manicured Man·
 ­X·
 ­Marita Covarrubias·
 ­Alex Krycek·
 ­Syndicate·
 ­Men in Black·
 ­X-File·
 ­Religion in The X-Files
 
 
Key people
­Chris Carter·
 ­David Duchovny·
 ­Gillian Anderson·
 ­Robert Patrick·
 ­Mitch Pileggi·
 ­Annabeth Gish·
 ­Mark Snow
 
 
­Category Category·
 ­Portal Portal·
 ­Wikipedia book Book·
 ­WikiProject WikiProject
 
 


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

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television seasons
2002 television seasons
Lists of science fiction television series episodes
Lists of drama television series episodes
Lists of American television series episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Français
Italiano
ქართული
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:00.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Nothing Important Happened Today

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

"Nothing Important Happened Today"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 1 & 2
Directed by
Kim Manners
Tony Wharmby
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX01
 9ABX02
Original air date
November 11, 2001
 November 18, 2001
Guest actors

James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Adam Baldwin as Knowle Rohrer
Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer
Various as Baby William
Lucy Lawless as Shannon McMahon
Nicholas Walker as Carl Wormus
John Casino as Roland McFarland
Jane Yamamoto as News Anchor
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Existence" Next →
 "Dæmonicus"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Nothing Important Happened Today" is the collective name for the ninth season premiere and the 183rd and 184th episodes of the science fiction television series The X-Files. Part 1 first aired on November 11 and Part 2 aired on November 18, 2001 on Fox in the United States. The episodes were written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. "Nothing Important Happened Today I" was directed by Kim Manners and "Nothing Important Happened Today II" was directed by Tony Wharmby. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology and earned a Nielsen rating of 6.5 and was viewed by 10.6 million viewers, whereas the second part earned a rating of 5.9 and was viewed by 9.4 million viewers. Critical reception to the episode was largely mixed.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). "Nothing Important Happened Today" is a storyline milestone for the series. It introduced both the story arc about baby William which would continue to develop throughout the ninth season and AD Brad Follmer, a recurring character for the show's ninth season. Part 1 deals with the investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh by special agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Doggett's related investigation into the death of EPA official Carl Wormus. In Part 2, Scully, Reyes, and Doggett are led to a ship, where they find evidence of experimentation on human embryos.
The episode was supposed to mark the first appearance of recurring regular Lucy Lawless as Shannon McMahon, a female Super Soldier, but Lawless' high-risk pregnancy prevented her from returning to the show. These episodes marked, however, the first appearance of recurring regular, Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer, an FBI Assistant Director. The phrase "Nothing Important Happened Today" comes from King George III's supposed diary entry on 4 July 1776, the same day that America declared Independence from Britain.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Part 1
1.2 Part 2
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Part 1[edit]
Carl Wormus, an EPA official, picks up a beautiful woman, Shannon McMahon (Lucy Lawless), in a Baltimore bar. While he is driving her home, she forces the car off a bridge and holds Wormus underwater until he drowns. Later, Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) meets FBI Assistant Director Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) in his office, where he hands her two videotapes from the night Dana Scully's (Gillian Anderson) son was born. The tapes show no evidence of the paranormal events John Doggett (Robert Patrick) has reported. Doggett goes to Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) apartment to consult him, but finds it empty. Meanwhile, McMahon surfaces at a water reclamation plant and drowns a worker there.
Scully refuses to disclose Mulder's whereabouts to Doggett, and urges him to drop his investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh's (James Pickens, Jr.) actions against the X-Files. Doggett tries to contact some of his old friends from the Marine Corps to find out what happened to Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin); one of them turns out to be McMahon. Meanwhile, at FBI headquarters, an unseen figure slips Wormus' obituary to Reyes. Scully's baby causes the mobile of his crib to spin without touching it. Scully is shocked, contacts Doggett, and retracts her request, telling him to continue his investigation. Scully also performs an autopsy on Wormus' body, where she finds fingerprints on his ankle. After leaving, Scully and Reyes see McMahon, who removes the body from the morgue. Follmer, whom Kersh has ordered to rein in Doggett, arrives at the scene and accuses Scully and Reyes of moving the body.
The Lone Gunmen find that Wormus had been receiving data from Roland McFarland, the drowned reclamation worker. Doggett breaks into McFarland's office with Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and finds files on chloramine, a mutation-inducing chemical, but Follmer arrives. Doggett slips into a filtration tank to hide, but is pulled deep underwater by McMahon.[1]
Part 2[edit]
A captain of a navy ship delivers a communication to Doctor Nordlinger, who orders the ship's captain to return the vintage WWII vessel to its base. Follmer leaves the water reclamation facility after failing to spot Doggett, who is still underwater; Shannon McMahon keeps him alive by passing air from her lungs into his. Back at FBI headquarters, Reyes warned by Follmer to distance herself from Doggett and his investigation of Kersh. Reyes believes that Follmer simply wants to get Doggett out of the FBI and storms out of the office. Doggett wakes up at his home to find McMahon, who tells him that both she and Knowle Rohrer are Super Soldiers, and that they cannot be killed, part of a military program. Doggett calls Dana Scully to his house, and McMahon tells them that the program is to be expanded by adding Chloramine to the water supply. The navy ship is now docked in Baltimore and the Captain leaves the ship against security rules to call Carl Wormus, who was previously drowned by McMahon.On his return to ship Knowle Rohrer approaches the captain on board the ship, informing him that he is now second-in-command. He later queries the captain as to the vessel's mission. The body of the original officer is found in the water nearby.
Scully examines McMahon and finds her to be physically normal, Doggett thinks that they may be onto something whilst Reyes remains sceptical. Doggett is then suspended of his duties with the FBI by Kersh and Follmer. Reyes tries to find out more about McMahon's history and learns that she is a Department of Justice employee and had been contacted by Wormus and McFarland in their attempts to expose the plans to contaminate the water supply. The Lone Gunmen intercept a call from the captain to Wormus, who tells him to contact the FBI, Knowle Rohrer is nearby eavesdropping. The captain then pulls a gun on the Navy Seal guarding the entrance to the lab, demanding that Nordlinger surrender the project's data. He does not notice Rohrer creeping up behind him. After hearing Reyes' findings, Scully, Reyes and Doggett go to the ship. They expect to meet the captain, but instead find Rohrer. Just as Rohrer is about to crush Doggett's skull, he is decapitated by McMahon. Rohrer is presumed dead, but soon awakens and stabs McMahon. Both bodies tumble into the water. The three agents board the ship, which is abandoned, and find the captain's decapitated body. Scully gains access to the now empty lab and finds evidence of manipulation of ova. However, she is forced to leave when Doggett finds a time bomb on the bridge. The agents narrowly escape the explosion.
Later, Doggett confronts Kersh, who was not implicated in the conspiracy. Kersh explains to Doggett that he left the evidence that helped Doggett, and that he had told Mulder to flee, but ultimately it was Scully who actually convinced Mulder to do so. Meanwhile, Scully dreams of McMahon's and Rohrer's lifeless bodies below the harbor. Suddenly, she sees McMahon's eyes snap open. Scully wakes up and the episode cuts to William's mobile; it begins to move on its own accord.[2]
Production[edit]

 

Lucy Lawless portrayed Shannon McMahon.
The style of the opening credits in "Nothing Important Happened Today" were changed from the original credits, which, more or less, had been the same for the previous eight seasons. The credits included new graphics as well as new cards for Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi. As Pileggi was absent from the following episode, "Dæmonicus", the opening titles were altered and only featured Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick and Gish. This version was used for all the episodes in the season without Pileggi.[3]
The phrase "Nothing Important Happened Today" comes from King George III's supposed diary entry on 4 July 1776, the same day that America declared Independence from Britain.[4][5] The first part of the episode marks the first appearance of Assistant Director Brad Follmer, who was named after Chris Carter's writing assistant.[3] Five different actors portrayed Baby William: Rikki Held, Rowdy Held, Ashley Knutson, James Riker and Travis Riker. The tagline for Part 2 is "Nothing Important Happened Today", replacing the usual phrase "The Truth is Out There".[6]
After learning about the 2001 cancellation of Xena Warrior Princess, Lawless was approached by the producers of The X-Files for a spot on the show. According to Lawless, one reason why she made an appearance on the show was that her daughter was a "mad X-Files fan". She further commented that she knew about the show and based her character Xena on Fox Mulder.[7]
Originally, Shannon McMahon was to be a recurring character and was due to be featured in "The Truth", the series finale of The X-Files. However, Lawless, who has a history of miscarriages, became pregnant shortly after part two of these episodes was filmed; her high-risk pregnancy prevented her returning to the series for future episodes. Carter called Lawless "hot stuff", saying it was "fun" having a female Super Soldier, something that had never occurred to him or to the show's production crew.[8]
In the first underwater scene, most of which was shot at the water tank at Universal, Lawless had to be seat-belted into a car that was supposed to be submerged thirteen feet. In actuality, the water tank was four feet deep. Lawless, being six feet tall, had to kneel and breathe into a hookah while filming the scene. For the special effects team, one of the hardest parts of the episode was to hide the fact that Lawless was wearing a swimming suit.[8]
Reception[edit]

 

New York Comic Con during the X-Files autograph session with Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, creators of The X-Files.
"Nothing Important Happened Today, Part 1" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.5 share, meaning that it was seen by 6.5% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, of the nation's estimated households.[9] The episode was viewed by 10.6 million viewers[10] and ranked number 55 for the week ending November 11 and subsequently became the second most watched episode of the ninth season behind the series finale "The Truth".[9] Part 2 earned a rating of 5.9.[11] The episode was viewed by 9.4 million viewers[10] ranked number 63 for the week ending November 18.[11] The first part of the episode, which aired on Sunday, November 11, competed with Saving Private Ryan which aired on ABC.[12] The second part of the episode earned the lowest rating on the night of November 18, receiving lower ratings and viewership numbers than The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle.[12] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[13]
When talking about the ninth season, Carter stated, "We lost our audience on the first episode. It's like the audience had gone away, and I didn't know how to find them. I didn't want to work to get them back because I believed what we are doing deserved to have them back".[14]
Critical reception to the episode was largely mixed. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated both episodes one star out of five.[4][15] In a review of the first part, the two noted that "this isn't quite the dullest season opener to The X-Files [but] this episode […] has all the passion of a wet Monday morning."[4] In a review of the second half, the two noted, "there is at least the semblance of drama here, but this second episode isn't significantly better than the first."[15] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave part one 6 out of 10 points and stated that the episode was "decent", but that it "suffered" thanks to being a "three-part mythology arc".[16] However, part two was given a more positive review, and received 9 out of 10 points. Keegan called it a "wonderful addition to the mythology" arc.[17] An unnamed staff writer of Airlock Alpha was mostly positive about the episode, with the exception of Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer, calling Elwes' acting "forced".[18] Rob Lowman from the Los Angeles Daily News said that Carter had been able to "breathe new life" into the series mythology arc, and had a positive view of Lucy Lawless' performance.[19] Marisa Guthrie from the Boston Herald felt that Gillian Anderson's character, Dana Scully had been "rendered impotent".[20] Starpulse named the changed credits the "Most Shocking Moment" in the series run, writing that the most drastic moment "came with the opening credits for season nine, a complete re-design that saw Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi added to the opening sequence and the familiar graphics totally scrapped. These credits looked like they belonged to a different series and at that point, it was."[21]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today I"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 18 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today II"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 18 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Chris, Patrick, Robert, Spotnitz, Frank and Gish, Annabeth (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 260
5.Jump up ^ Kellner, p. 154
6.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director, Part 1); Tony Wharmby (Director, Part 2). "Nothing Important Happened Today". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 1 and 2. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Hinman, Michael (21 October 2001). "From X(ena) to X(-Files)". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Manners, Kim (2002). Audio commentary for "The Truth" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
9.^ Jump up to: a b The Associated Press (15 November 2001). "NBC Race Gets Tighter with a Big Win by ABC". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Tribune Company).
10.^ Jump up to: a b Kessenich, p. 193
11.^ Jump up to: a b The Associated Press (23 November 2001). "Michael Jackson Leads CBS to Ratings Victory". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Tribune Company).
12.^ Jump up to: a b Hinman, Michael (19 November 2001). "X-Files continues to falter". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
13.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). FOX.
14.Jump up ^ Goodman, Tim (18 January 2002). "'X-Files' creator ends Fox series". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 261
16.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Nothing important Happened Today I". Critical Myth. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
17.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Nothing Important Happened Today II". Critical Myth. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
18.Jump up ^ "A little too much X-skin?". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). 13 November 2001. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
19.Jump up ^ Lowman, Rob (11 November 2001). "Don't write off Files Just Yet". Los Angeles Daily News (MediaNews Group). Retrieved 14 October 2009.
20.Jump up ^ Guthrie, Marisa (11 November 2001). "Television review; It's time to put X-Files in a drawer". Boston Herald (Herald Media Inc.). Retrieved 14 October 2009.
21.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew (25 July 2008). "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Media Holdings LLC. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
BibliographyKellner, Douglas (2003). Media Spectacle. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26828-1.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
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 9
"Nothing Important Happened Today" at the Internet Movie Database
"Nothing Important Happened Today" at TV.com
  "Nothing Important Happened Today II" at the Internet Movie Database
"Nothing Important Happened Today II" at TV.com
 

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 
 
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television episodes


Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:15.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Nothing Important Happened Today

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

"Nothing Important Happened Today"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 1 & 2
Directed by
Kim Manners
Tony Wharmby
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX01
 9ABX02
Original air date
November 11, 2001
 November 18, 2001
Guest actors

James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
Adam Baldwin as Knowle Rohrer
Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer
Various as Baby William
Lucy Lawless as Shannon McMahon
Nicholas Walker as Carl Wormus
John Casino as Roland McFarland
Jane Yamamoto as News Anchor
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Existence" Next →
 "Dæmonicus"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Nothing Important Happened Today" is the collective name for the ninth season premiere and the 183rd and 184th episodes of the science fiction television series The X-Files. Part 1 first aired on November 11 and Part 2 aired on November 18, 2001 on Fox in the United States. The episodes were written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. "Nothing Important Happened Today I" was directed by Kim Manners and "Nothing Important Happened Today II" was directed by Tony Wharmby. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology and earned a Nielsen rating of 6.5 and was viewed by 10.6 million viewers, whereas the second part earned a rating of 5.9 and was viewed by 9.4 million viewers. Critical reception to the episode was largely mixed.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). "Nothing Important Happened Today" is a storyline milestone for the series. It introduced both the story arc about baby William which would continue to develop throughout the ninth season and AD Brad Follmer, a recurring character for the show's ninth season. Part 1 deals with the investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh by special agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Doggett's related investigation into the death of EPA official Carl Wormus. In Part 2, Scully, Reyes, and Doggett are led to a ship, where they find evidence of experimentation on human embryos.
The episode was supposed to mark the first appearance of recurring regular Lucy Lawless as Shannon McMahon, a female Super Soldier, but Lawless' high-risk pregnancy prevented her from returning to the show. These episodes marked, however, the first appearance of recurring regular, Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer, an FBI Assistant Director. The phrase "Nothing Important Happened Today" comes from King George III's supposed diary entry on 4 July 1776, the same day that America declared Independence from Britain.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Part 1
1.2 Part 2
2 Production
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
Plot[edit]
Part 1[edit]
Carl Wormus, an EPA official, picks up a beautiful woman, Shannon McMahon (Lucy Lawless), in a Baltimore bar. While he is driving her home, she forces the car off a bridge and holds Wormus underwater until he drowns. Later, Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) meets FBI Assistant Director Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) in his office, where he hands her two videotapes from the night Dana Scully's (Gillian Anderson) son was born. The tapes show no evidence of the paranormal events John Doggett (Robert Patrick) has reported. Doggett goes to Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) apartment to consult him, but finds it empty. Meanwhile, McMahon surfaces at a water reclamation plant and drowns a worker there.
Scully refuses to disclose Mulder's whereabouts to Doggett, and urges him to drop his investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh's (James Pickens, Jr.) actions against the X-Files. Doggett tries to contact some of his old friends from the Marine Corps to find out what happened to Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin); one of them turns out to be McMahon. Meanwhile, at FBI headquarters, an unseen figure slips Wormus' obituary to Reyes. Scully's baby causes the mobile of his crib to spin without touching it. Scully is shocked, contacts Doggett, and retracts her request, telling him to continue his investigation. Scully also performs an autopsy on Wormus' body, where she finds fingerprints on his ankle. After leaving, Scully and Reyes see McMahon, who removes the body from the morgue. Follmer, whom Kersh has ordered to rein in Doggett, arrives at the scene and accuses Scully and Reyes of moving the body.
The Lone Gunmen find that Wormus had been receiving data from Roland McFarland, the drowned reclamation worker. Doggett breaks into McFarland's office with Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and finds files on chloramine, a mutation-inducing chemical, but Follmer arrives. Doggett slips into a filtration tank to hide, but is pulled deep underwater by McMahon.[1]
Part 2[edit]
A captain of a navy ship delivers a communication to Doctor Nordlinger, who orders the ship's captain to return the vintage WWII vessel to its base. Follmer leaves the water reclamation facility after failing to spot Doggett, who is still underwater; Shannon McMahon keeps him alive by passing air from her lungs into his. Back at FBI headquarters, Reyes warned by Follmer to distance herself from Doggett and his investigation of Kersh. Reyes believes that Follmer simply wants to get Doggett out of the FBI and storms out of the office. Doggett wakes up at his home to find McMahon, who tells him that both she and Knowle Rohrer are Super Soldiers, and that they cannot be killed, part of a military program. Doggett calls Dana Scully to his house, and McMahon tells them that the program is to be expanded by adding Chloramine to the water supply. The navy ship is now docked in Baltimore and the Captain leaves the ship against security rules to call Carl Wormus, who was previously drowned by McMahon.On his return to ship Knowle Rohrer approaches the captain on board the ship, informing him that he is now second-in-command. He later queries the captain as to the vessel's mission. The body of the original officer is found in the water nearby.
Scully examines McMahon and finds her to be physically normal, Doggett thinks that they may be onto something whilst Reyes remains sceptical. Doggett is then suspended of his duties with the FBI by Kersh and Follmer. Reyes tries to find out more about McMahon's history and learns that she is a Department of Justice employee and had been contacted by Wormus and McFarland in their attempts to expose the plans to contaminate the water supply. The Lone Gunmen intercept a call from the captain to Wormus, who tells him to contact the FBI, Knowle Rohrer is nearby eavesdropping. The captain then pulls a gun on the Navy Seal guarding the entrance to the lab, demanding that Nordlinger surrender the project's data. He does not notice Rohrer creeping up behind him. After hearing Reyes' findings, Scully, Reyes and Doggett go to the ship. They expect to meet the captain, but instead find Rohrer. Just as Rohrer is about to crush Doggett's skull, he is decapitated by McMahon. Rohrer is presumed dead, but soon awakens and stabs McMahon. Both bodies tumble into the water. The three agents board the ship, which is abandoned, and find the captain's decapitated body. Scully gains access to the now empty lab and finds evidence of manipulation of ova. However, she is forced to leave when Doggett finds a time bomb on the bridge. The agents narrowly escape the explosion.
Later, Doggett confronts Kersh, who was not implicated in the conspiracy. Kersh explains to Doggett that he left the evidence that helped Doggett, and that he had told Mulder to flee, but ultimately it was Scully who actually convinced Mulder to do so. Meanwhile, Scully dreams of McMahon's and Rohrer's lifeless bodies below the harbor. Suddenly, she sees McMahon's eyes snap open. Scully wakes up and the episode cuts to William's mobile; it begins to move on its own accord.[2]
Production[edit]

 

Lucy Lawless portrayed Shannon McMahon.
The style of the opening credits in "Nothing Important Happened Today" were changed from the original credits, which, more or less, had been the same for the previous eight seasons. The credits included new graphics as well as new cards for Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi. As Pileggi was absent from the following episode, "Dæmonicus", the opening titles were altered and only featured Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick and Gish. This version was used for all the episodes in the season without Pileggi.[3]
The phrase "Nothing Important Happened Today" comes from King George III's supposed diary entry on 4 July 1776, the same day that America declared Independence from Britain.[4][5] The first part of the episode marks the first appearance of Assistant Director Brad Follmer, who was named after Chris Carter's writing assistant.[3] Five different actors portrayed Baby William: Rikki Held, Rowdy Held, Ashley Knutson, James Riker and Travis Riker. The tagline for Part 2 is "Nothing Important Happened Today", replacing the usual phrase "The Truth is Out There".[6]
After learning about the 2001 cancellation of Xena Warrior Princess, Lawless was approached by the producers of The X-Files for a spot on the show. According to Lawless, one reason why she made an appearance on the show was that her daughter was a "mad X-Files fan". She further commented that she knew about the show and based her character Xena on Fox Mulder.[7]
Originally, Shannon McMahon was to be a recurring character and was due to be featured in "The Truth", the series finale of The X-Files. However, Lawless, who has a history of miscarriages, became pregnant shortly after part two of these episodes was filmed; her high-risk pregnancy prevented her returning to the series for future episodes. Carter called Lawless "hot stuff", saying it was "fun" having a female Super Soldier, something that had never occurred to him or to the show's production crew.[8]
In the first underwater scene, most of which was shot at the water tank at Universal, Lawless had to be seat-belted into a car that was supposed to be submerged thirteen feet. In actuality, the water tank was four feet deep. Lawless, being six feet tall, had to kneel and breathe into a hookah while filming the scene. For the special effects team, one of the hardest parts of the episode was to hide the fact that Lawless was wearing a swimming suit.[8]
Reception[edit]

 

New York Comic Con during the X-Files autograph session with Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, creators of The X-Files.
"Nothing Important Happened Today, Part 1" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.5 share, meaning that it was seen by 6.5% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, of the nation's estimated households.[9] The episode was viewed by 10.6 million viewers[10] and ranked number 55 for the week ending November 11 and subsequently became the second most watched episode of the ninth season behind the series finale "The Truth".[9] Part 2 earned a rating of 5.9.[11] The episode was viewed by 9.4 million viewers[10] ranked number 63 for the week ending November 18.[11] The first part of the episode, which aired on Sunday, November 11, competed with Saving Private Ryan which aired on ABC.[12] The second part of the episode earned the lowest rating on the night of November 18, receiving lower ratings and viewership numbers than The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle.[12] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[13]
When talking about the ninth season, Carter stated, "We lost our audience on the first episode. It's like the audience had gone away, and I didn't know how to find them. I didn't want to work to get them back because I believed what we are doing deserved to have them back".[14]
Critical reception to the episode was largely mixed. Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated both episodes one star out of five.[4][15] In a review of the first part, the two noted that "this isn't quite the dullest season opener to The X-Files [but] this episode […] has all the passion of a wet Monday morning."[4] In a review of the second half, the two noted, "there is at least the semblance of drama here, but this second episode isn't significantly better than the first."[15] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave part one 6 out of 10 points and stated that the episode was "decent", but that it "suffered" thanks to being a "three-part mythology arc".[16] However, part two was given a more positive review, and received 9 out of 10 points. Keegan called it a "wonderful addition to the mythology" arc.[17] An unnamed staff writer of Airlock Alpha was mostly positive about the episode, with the exception of Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer, calling Elwes' acting "forced".[18] Rob Lowman from the Los Angeles Daily News said that Carter had been able to "breathe new life" into the series mythology arc, and had a positive view of Lucy Lawless' performance.[19] Marisa Guthrie from the Boston Herald felt that Gillian Anderson's character, Dana Scully had been "rendered impotent".[20] Starpulse named the changed credits the "Most Shocking Moment" in the series run, writing that the most drastic moment "came with the opening credits for season nine, a complete re-design that saw Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi added to the opening sequence and the familiar graphics totally scrapped. These credits looked like they belonged to a different series and at that point, it was."[21]
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today I"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 18 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today II"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 18 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Chris, Patrick, Robert, Spotnitz, Frank and Gish, Annabeth (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 260
5.Jump up ^ Kellner, p. 154
6.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director, Part 1); Tony Wharmby (Director, Part 2). "Nothing Important Happened Today". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 1 and 2. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Hinman, Michael (21 October 2001). "From X(ena) to X(-Files)". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Manners, Kim (2002). Audio commentary for "The Truth" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
9.^ Jump up to: a b The Associated Press (15 November 2001). "NBC Race Gets Tighter with a Big Win by ABC". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Tribune Company).
10.^ Jump up to: a b Kessenich, p. 193
11.^ Jump up to: a b The Associated Press (23 November 2001). "Michael Jackson Leads CBS to Ratings Victory". South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Tribune Company).
12.^ Jump up to: a b Hinman, Michael (19 November 2001). "X-Files continues to falter". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
13.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). FOX.
14.Jump up ^ Goodman, Tim (18 January 2002). "'X-Files' creator ends Fox series". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved 27 July 2009.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 261
16.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Nothing important Happened Today I". Critical Myth. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
17.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Nothing Important Happened Today II". Critical Myth. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
18.Jump up ^ "A little too much X-skin?". Airlock Alpha (Nexus Media Group Inc.). 13 November 2001. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
19.Jump up ^ Lowman, Rob (11 November 2001). "Don't write off Files Just Yet". Los Angeles Daily News (MediaNews Group). Retrieved 14 October 2009.
20.Jump up ^ Guthrie, Marisa (11 November 2001). "Television review; It's time to put X-Files in a drawer". Boston Herald (Herald Media Inc.). Retrieved 14 October 2009.
21.Jump up ^ Payne, Andrew (25 July 2008). "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Media Holdings LLC. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
BibliographyKellner, Douglas (2003). Media Spectacle. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26828-1.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
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 9
"Nothing Important Happened Today" at the Internet Movie Database
"Nothing Important Happened Today" at TV.com
  "Nothing Important Happened Today II" at the Internet Movie Database
"Nothing Important Happened Today II" at TV.com
 

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 
 
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television episodes


Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:15.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Dæmonicus

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

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

"Dæmonicus"
The X-Files episode
Daemonicus TXF.jpg
Josef Kobold throwing up on Doggett at a mental asylum
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 3
Directed by
Frank Spotnitz
Written by
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX03
Original air date
December 2, 2001
Running time
42 minutes
Guest actors

James Remar as Professor Josef Kobold
Robert Beckwith as First FBI Cadet
Sarah Benoit as Evelyn Mountjoy
Andi Chapman as Dr. Monique Sampson
Rueben Grundy as Forensic Technician
Tim Halligan as Darren Mountjoy
Elijah Majar as Guard
Troy Mittleider as Dr. Kenneth Richmond
Shane Nickerson as Police Photographer
James Rekart as Paul Gerlach
Lou Richards as Officer Custer
Melissa Spotnitz as Second FBI Cadet[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Nothing Important Happened Today II" Next →
 "4-D"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Dæmonicus" is the third episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files and the show's 185th episode overall. It first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 2, 2001. The episode was written and directed by executive producer Frank Spotnitz. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.5 and its premiere was viewed by 5.80 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Doggett, Reyes, and Scully investigate a series of bizarre killings that seem to be due to demonic possession but which Doggett believes is a hoax. The agents soon meet Josef Kobold (James Remar), a man who seems to be playing some sort of demonic game.
"Dæmonicus" was written by Spotnitz to develop the new settings for the show's Monster-of-the-Week episodes, as well as the series in general. One of the major steps taken was to move Scully from the X-Files office to the FBI Academy at Quantico. When creating Josef Kobold, the episode's antagonist, Spotnitz researched various crimes and criminals, until he came learned about Caryl Chessman, a man who had been sentenced to death on a technical charge of kidnapping. Series co-star Robert Patrick had issues remembering and delivering his lines, due to the theme of demonic possession, which reportedly made him uneasy.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and directing
2.2 Filming
3 Reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Following a bizarre double-murder with Satanic ritual overtones in rural Virginia, John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) are offered the case. Doggett and Reyes asks Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to do an autopsy on the murder victims. The agents comes to the conclusion that one of the murder victims was somehow tricked into killing his wife, while evidence at the scene points to two perpetrators. When Reyes claims to have felt the presence of evil, Doggett responds with great irritation. Dr. Monique Sampson calls them, saying that the murders may be connected to an escaped mental patient, Dr. Kenneth Richman, and a guard, Paul Gerlach.
Meanwhile, in a wooden area, the two perpetrators, both wearing demon masks, face each other some twenty paces apart. One of the perpetrators raises his gun and shoots the other. At the mental institution, the two agents interview Josef Kobold (James Remar), the neighbouring patient of Richman. The answers Kobold gives are unsettling for the agents, as he says that one of the perpetrators has killed again, showing them the location and warning them of "something horrible" happening there. After the dead perpetrator's body is recovered, Scully performs an autopsy and discovers that the body belongs to Gerlach.
The agents ask Kobold for help finding the remaining perpetrator. When speaking to Kobold, he suddenly speaks in a strange backward whispering and erupts in convulsions. Reyes hears the word "medicus," meaning "physician." After putting Kobold in the custody of another guard named Custer, Doggett and Reyes race to Sampson's home and find her dead, with a dozen hypodermic needles jammed into her face. During a one-on-one confrontation, Kobold taunts Doggett about his personal life before vomiting all over him. As Doggett talks to Reyes, the power suddenly goes out in the mental institution. Custer approaches Kobold's cell and witnesses him turning into a demon.
Doggett phones Scully to tell her that Kobold claims Richman is at an old marina. Scully drives there, but is attacked by Richman. When Doggett and Reyes arrive, they hear a gunshot from inside an abandoned warehouse. There, they find Richman dead. Scully explains that he was holding her at gunpoint until they arrived, then shot himself. After Scully's lecture to FBI cadets, Doggett explains to her and Reyes that Kobold planned the entire ordeal as a game and got away with it.[2]
Production[edit]
Writing and directing[edit]

 

 "Dæmonicus" was written and directed by executive producer Frank Spotnitz.
"Dæmonicus" was written and directed by executive producer Frank Spotnitz. The episode marked Spotinitz's third credit as a writer and first credit as director for the season. In addition, the episode marked the second time Spotnitz helmed an episode's directing, with the last being "Alone". "Daemonicus" is the first Monster-of-the-Week episode of season nine, meaning a stand-alone episode unconnected to the series' wider mythology; as season nine was promoted as the "new" X-Files, it was important to develop new settings for the show. One of these new settings was to move Dana Scully from the X-Files office to the FBI Academy at Quantico. The scenes at the FBI Academy were shot at a lecture hall at UCLA.[3] Spotnitz’s wife, Melissa, appears as one of the students in Scully’s class.[4]
Spotnitz later called Kobold, the episode's main antagonist, "the devil, in a cell."[3] When creating Kobold, Spotnitz researched various crimes and criminals, until he came across the name of Caryl Chessman, who had been sentenced to death on a technical charge of kidnapping. He was then able to connect the word "chessman" to the idea that, for Kobold, his crimes were all a game. Spotnitz wanted the villain to be a character that "could help", and not a character that would just tell the viewers "what The X-Files was again".[3]
Series co-star Robert Patrick had issues remembering and delivering his lines due to the theme of demonic possession, which reportedly "was freaking" him out.[5] He later explained, "It was the first time that I couldn't do my lines. Usually I would show up, and they'd always put the camera on me first [but this time] I couldn't do it."[5]
Filming[edit]
The episode contained several sequences of Josef Kobold throwing up. Spotnitz had not intended the finished product to feature all the shots but the editor at that time, Chris Cooke, "cut it that way."[3] Spotnitz felt that it "was so completely over the top."[3] To create the shots, the production crew used tubes which supplied the faux vomit. The tubes were discreetly fitted to actor James Remar's mouth. Remar, in turn, only had to open his mouth during the shooting of the sequence.[3] Spotnitz later joked that he had "a thing for vomiting".[6]
Reception[edit]
"Dæmonicus" first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 2, 2001.[7] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.5, meaning that it was seen by 5.5% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.80 million households.[8][nb 1] "Dæmonicus" was the 68th most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending December 2.[8] The episode later aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on November 17, 2002.[7]
The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan of Television Without Pity gave the episode a "C" grade rating.[9] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode one-and-a-half stars out of five. The two criticized Spotnitz "attention-seeking direction", citing the "strange cross fades" and "exaggerated camera angles" as detractors.[10] Furthermore, they were critical about the story, writing that it was "all over the place".[10] Ultimately, Shearman and Pearson concluded that the entry was an example of "this new season [needing] to try a little harder" in order to become a success.[10] Other reviews were more positive. John Keegan from Critical Myth awarded it an 8 out of 10 and wrote that "Overall, this was a strong episode to begin the meat of the season with, and while there were still some moments that were not as well written as they might have been in past seasons, this episode compares very well to those efforts. If anything, my greatest disappointment might be that there are so many out there unwilling to give this season a chance."[11] In a season review, Michelle Kung from Entertainment Weekly called the episode "worthy", but noted that it was overshadowed by the show's "ludicrous conspiracy plots".[12]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[8] Thus, 5.5 percent of 105.5 million is 5.80 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Dæmonicus - Cast Credits (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2002.
2.Jump up ^ "Dæmonicus". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 2 December 2001. Archived from the original on 15 December 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Spotnitz, Frank, et al (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9: "Dæmonicus" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
4.Jump up ^ "Dæmonicus - Research Information". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 2 December 2001. Archived from the original on 22 December 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 200
6.Jump up ^ Spotnitz, Frank (2011). "Big Light Productions". Big Light Productions. Retrieved 17 May 2012. Note: To retrieve information, click "Season 9" and navigate to "Daemonicus"
7.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Media notes). Fox. 2001–02.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (4 December 2001). "Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings". Associated Press Archive. Retrieved 24 March 2012. (subscription required)
9.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Dæmonicus". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearmand Pearson, p. 262
11.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Dæmonicus". Critical Myth. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Kung, Michelle (14 May 2004). "The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 July 2012. (subscription required)
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dæmonicus
"Dæmonicus" at the Internet Movie Database
"Dæmonicus" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Deutsch
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
 

 

 

4-D (The X-Files)

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

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

"4-D"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 4
Directed by
Tony Wharmby
Written by
Steven Maeda
Production code
9ABX05
Original air date
December 9, 2001
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer
Gil Colon as Agent Rice
Dylan Haggerty as Erwin Timothy Lukesh
Ming Lo as Doctor Kim
Angela Paton as Miriam Lukesh[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Dæmonicus" Next →
 "Lord of the Flies"

List of The X-Files episodes
"4-D" is the fourth episode of the ninth season and the 186th episode overall of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on December 9, 2001 on the Fox network. It was written by Steven Maeda and directed by Tony Wharmby. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 5.38 million households. It received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, a vicious murderer named Erwin Lukesh, capable of jumping between parallel universes, shoots Doggett using Reyes' gun. Brad Follmer opens an investigation to figure out the truth. Reyes eventually deduces that Lukesh is the real murderer.
Maeda wrote the episode after being inspired by the situation of a real-life French journalist, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who had been paralyzed and could only communicate by blinking his left eyelid. The character of Lukesh was in part inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and was created by Maeda in the hopes that he would go on to be a memorable villain. Effects expert Mat Beck created the unique visual sequence that showed Doggett and Lukesh traveling between the different universes. To create the effect of a parallel universe, every scene in the episode's teaser was flipped so that the mirror image was shown.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing
2.2 Effects and cultural references
3 Reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) monitors Erwin Lukesh, a suspected serial killer who cuts out his victims' tongues. While pursuing him, Reyes goes into an apartment building and is attacked by Lukesh with a razor. John Doggett (Robert Patrick), observes the pursuit electronically and hears a scream. He rushes to help Reyes and finds her dying, her throat cut. Doggett chases Lukesh into an alleyway, where the killer seemingly vanishes. Lukesh then appears behind Doggett and fires at him with Reyes' gun.
The setting then changes; Doggett arrives at Reyes' new apartment with a housewarming gift. Neither seems to be aware of the previous events. Reyes than receives a phone call from Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), who informs her that Doggett has been shot and is being taken to the hospital. Reyes tells Skinner that Doggett is in her apartment, but then finds that he has vanished. When she arrives at the hospital, Reyes learns that Doggett was shot with her gun. Reyes is questioned by the FBI, insisting that Doggett was with her at the time of the shooting. Meanwhile, Lukesh watches the interrogation and identifies Reyes as the shooter.
Doggett regains consciousness, but is breathing with the help of a respirator. Meanwhile, Lukesh goes to his apartment where he lives with his disabled mother. As he prepares to fix her lunch, he goes to his freezer and pulls out a bag containing a human tongue. Reyes performs a background check on Lukesh, and becomes convinced that he is in fact responsible for the shooting. Reyes goes to Doggett, and through a computer setup that enables him to tap out words, Doggett tells her that Lukesh shot him but that Doggett also saw her with her throat cut.
Lukesh then returns to the alleyway where Doggett was shot and vanishes. Based on the contradictory evidence, Reyes concludes that Lukesh can travel between parallel universes in order to kill. She also concludes that the unharmed Doggett disappeared because two versions of the same person cannot exist in the same universe. Skinner questions Lukesh, who becomes agitated when his mother is mentioned. Noting this, Skinner decides to hint that his mother will be questioned, which leads Lukesh to become more uncomfortable. Lukesh returns home to find his mother has found the gun with which he shot Doggett. After she threatens to talk to the FBI, Lukesh kills her.
Doggett tells Reyes that, in order to resolve the situation, she must turn off his respirator and allow him to die, but she refuses. Suspecting that Lukesh plans to kill Reyes next, Skinner convinces Reyes to go back to her apartment while he, Scully, and Follmer monitor her. She returns and is attacked by Lukesh. The team rush to her aid and Follmer shoots Lukesh in the head, killing him. Reyes then returns to the hospital, closing her eyes as she shuts off Doggett's respirator. As she opens her eyes, the scene changes back to her apartment at the moment Doggett had disappeared earlier. Reyes, stunned and fighting back tears, embraces Doggett as he, evidently unaware of any of the previous events, asks her what is wrong.[2]
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]

 

 The episode's villain, Lukesh, was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho.
Steven Maeda, the writer, had previously written eighth season episodes "Redrum" and "Vienen". Due to their success, Maeda was asked to pen a ninth season stand alone episode. His efforts were hampered by the fact that, due to the departure of David Duchovny, the general circumstances of The X-Files had become more difficult. The plot for "4-D" was inspired by the situation of a real-life French journalist, Jean-Dominique Bauby. Bauby had been paralyzed and could only communicate by blinking his left eyelid. Maeda wanted to employ a similar type of aliment in his script, and originally thought of drawing up a guest character for this purpose. However, he eventually felt that the plot would be more successful with a regular character, and decided to use Doggett. Maeda employed the theory of parallel universes in order to explain the circumstances of the episode. The character of Lukesh was in part inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho. Maeda later noted that he wished to create a villain that would be as memorable as other antagonists in The X-Files, such as Eugene Victor Tooms and The Flukeman.[3]
"4-D" expounded upon the budding relationship between Doggett and Reyes. Most of the two's romantic interactions were limited to "flirtatious undercurrents" because, according to Annabeth Gish, series creator Chris Carter "was never big on the flamboyant big performances."[4] Robert Patrick later claimed that he came up with the scene wherein Reyes shaves a wounded Doggett. He noted, "I'd read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and I believe there's a part of that in the book where the character gets shaved, and I thought, 'Wow, that's really an intimate kind of moment.'"[4]
Effects and cultural references[edit]
Effects expert Mat Beck was instructed to create a visual sequence that showed Doggett and Lukesh traveling between the different universes.[3] Various effects were tested, including characters disappearing into black holes as well as phasing through the air in a more "exaggerated" and "watery" way.[5] Beck ultimately decided to use a combination of both effects. Separate shots of a morphing scene were taken: one of the actors, and one of the background. Beck then used software to morph the two together to make it appear as if they had vanished. Later, artistic touches were added in post-production editing to give a more futuristic effect.[3]
To create the effect of a parallel universe, every scene in the episode's teaser was flipped so that the mirror image was shown. In order to render words correctly, letters had to be re-written backwards so that they yielded the correct spelling. Monica Reyes' Georgetown apartment address is 67 Bennett Avenue. This is a reference to Rod Serling's address in Binghamton, New York. Furthermore, her apartment number 6, is a reference to Patrick McGoohan's number in the 1967 television series, The Prisoner.[6]
Reception[edit]
"4-D" first aired in the United States on December 9, 2001.[7] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1, meaning that it was seen by 5.1% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.38 million households.[8][nb 1] "4-D" was the 62nd most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending December 9.[8] The episode was later broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One in November 25, 2002.[7]
Critical reception to the episode was mixed to positive. In a season review, Michelle Kung from Entertainment Weekly called the episode "worthy", but noted that it was overshadowed by the show's "ludicrous conspiracy plots".[9] Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode a B rating. She slightly criticized the episode's resolution, writing that it "explained nothing. I mean, how do these other universes work?"[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 four stars out of five. The two noted that, while the episode's premise "doesn't seem as well thought through" as Maeda's past efforts, "4-D" is "worth it".[11] Shearman and Pearson concluded that the episode "earns its stripes by at last restoring to the series a pulse."[11] Furthermore, they praised Gish's performance, noting that she "finally [is] given a showcase that makes Reyes so much more than a New Age fanatic".[11]
Other reviews were more mixed. John Keegan from Critical Myth awarded it a 6 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this was an episode with a very interesting concept, and it had the virtue of giving us a solid look at Monica Reyes. Hopefully this will win over some of her more vocal critics. But there were little inconsistencies and conveniences that rubbed me the wrong way, and because of that, I cannot say that it was as good as some of the other episodes thus far."[12] In a comparison of "4-D" and the Fringe episode "There's More Than One of Everything", UGO Networks columnist Alex Zalben wrote that the Fringe episode won "by a landslide, ["There's More Than One of Everything"] kicked [Fringe] into high gear, while '4-D' was The X-Files winding down."[13]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[8] Thus, 5.1 percent of 105.5 million is 5.38 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "4-D". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 9 December 2001. Archived from the original on 9 April 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "4-D". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c The X-Files: The Collector's Edition (GE Fabbri) 45. 2006. ISSN 1747-9096.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 201
5.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2002). Special Effects by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin: "Passing Through Time Warp" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: Fox Home Entertainment.
6.Jump up ^ "4-D - Research Information". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 9 December 2001. Archived from the original on 10 April 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
7.^ Jump up to: a b The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Media notes). Fox. 2001–02.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (12 December 2001). "This Week's Top TV Shows". Press-Telegram (MediaNews Group). Retrieved 24 March 2012. (subscription required)
9.Jump up ^ Kung, Michelle (14 May 2004). "The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season". Entertainment Weekly (Time Inc.). Retrieved 12 July 2012. (subscription required)
10.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "4-D". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 263
12.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "4-D". Critical Myth. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
13.Jump up ^ Alex, Zalben (5 April 2010). "Fringe vs. The X-Files: Which Does Weird Science Better?". UGO Networks. UGO Entertainment. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
"4-D" at XFiles.com
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF "4-D"
"4-D" at the Internet Movie Database
"4-D" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:09.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Lord of the Flies (The X-Files)

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

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

"Lord of the Flies"
The X-Files episode
Dylan Lokensgard covered in flies.jpg
Dylan Lokensgard is covered with files.
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 5
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Thomas Schnauz
Production code
9ABX06
Original air date
December 16, 2001
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Aaron Paul as Winky
Aeryk Egan as Camera Dude
Branden Williams as Cap'n Dare
Erick Avari as Dr. Herb Fountain
Hank Harris as Dylan Lokensgard
Jane Lynch as Anne Lokensgard
Michael Wiseman as Dr. Rocky Bronzino
Samaire Armstrong as Natalie Gordon[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "4-D" Next →
 "Trust No 1"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Lord of the Flies" is the fifth episode of the ninth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the show's 187th episode overall. It first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 16, 2001, and was subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two. The episode was written by Thomas Schnauz, and was directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. "Lord of the Flies" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.2, and was watched by 9.9 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics, with many critical of the episode's reliance on humor.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, an amateur stunt performer is killed while performing a daring act for a local cable reality show, Scully, Doggett and Reyes discover that the culprit was apparently a swarm of killer flies hidden in the victim's brain.
"Lord of the Flies" marked a return of comedic episodes to the series. Due to this, Patrick had issues with his acting because, initially, he felt the entry was too foolish. The aggressiveness of flies in the episode was inspired by the actual habits of Australian blow flies. The episode's title, "Lord of the Flies", is an English translation for the name of the semitic demon Beelzebub. In addition, the episode makes several references to musician Syd Barrett, the original singer and guitarist for Pink Floyd.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
A group of teenagers film one of their friends, nicknamed "Cap'n Dare", doing a stunt for a cable TV show called Dumbass. After the stunt, Dare falls out of a shopping cart and is found dead after part of his skull collapses. The local coroner calls in John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) to investigate the death. During the autopsy, flies erupt from Dare's eye sockets. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) examines the body and finds that the insects had fed on Dare's brain to such a degree that it simply collapsed.
At a local high school, Winky and his brother film a memorial service for Dare, much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Natalie. The teens harass Dylan Lokensgard, the son of the principal and a social outcast. Doggett and Reyes arrive at the school to talk to Winky. During their interview, flies mysteriously attack him and bite "Dumbass" into his flesh. While watching the Dumbass recordings, Doggett notices that Dylan was at each of the stunts and decides to question him. While the two agents talk to Dylan, his mother appears and tries to stop the questioning. During the proceedings, Dylan becomes covered in flies; subsequently, Reyes starts to believe that Dylan is behind the attack. The agents take a tissue soaked with Dylan's sweat back for Scully to analyze. The results show that Dylan's body fluids contain a high number of insect pheremones.
That night, Natalie sneaks into Dylan's house. When they kiss, something apparently cuts her mouth, causing her to leave in tears. Dare's friends, who believe Dylan is responsible for his death, pull up moments later and abduct him. During the drive, an insect like protrusion comes out of Dylan's mouth and sprays webbing everywhere, causing the car to flip and crash. Doggett and Reyes arrive at the scene, and are told that Dylan chewed his way out the back window. Meanwhile, Scully and a bug specialist search Dylan's home. Scully leaves to help Reyes find the teenager while the specialist stays behind; the specialist is subsequently attacked by Dylan's mother.
Reyes tracks down Natalie, but Reyes is attacked and cocooned by Dylan. Dylan's mother approaches him, and tells him that he is not like other kids and never will be. Doggett arrives at the girl's home and finds Reyes and Natalie alive. Dylan and his mother, however, are nowhere to be found. A subsequent search of the Lokensgard home reveals other bodies, including the bug specialist, cocooned but survived, and Dylan's father, who supposedly ran off years earlier. After leaving with his mother, Dylan sends Natalie one last message in the form of fireflies: "I love you."[2]
Production[edit]

 

 The aggressiveness of flies in the episode was inspired by the actual habits of Australian blow flies.
The episode was written by Thomas Schnauz, and was directed by Kim Manners. It was Schnauz's first writing credit, and Manner's second directing credit for the season.[3] The episode marked a return of "the comedy episode" for the series.[4] According to Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles in their book The Complete X-Files, the episode "revisit[s] [the] themes of genetic grafting experiments from 'Travelers' in a humorous context."[4] Series co-star Robert Patrick had a difficult time with the episode; he later explained, "I couldn't deal with some of the material. As an actor, I found some of it to be a little silly."[4] Accordingly, Manners helped Patrick traverse the script, an action that helped him achieve the desired delivery for his lines.[4]
A few of the flies on the dead body of "Cap'n Dare" were real, but the rest were created via CGI, according to special effects supervisors John Wash. The eye of the body was opened by a cable. Hank Harris, the boy who played Dylan, wore a suit made of rubber for the swarming scene. 30,000 live flies were then "dumped" onto him during filming.[5] The opening for the episode was filmed at Cheviot Hills Park in Los Angeles. The site had previously been used for various shots in the sixth season episode "The Unnatural" and the eighth season episode "Three Words". Garfield High School in Sherman Oaks, California, stood in for Grant High School. During filming breaks, Robert Patrick spent his time listening to his brother Richard Patrick's industrial rock band, Filter.[6]
The aggressiveness of flies in the episode was inspired by the actual habits of Australian blow flies. The episode's title, "Lord of the Flies", is an English translation for the name of the semitic demon Beelzebub.[7] The name was also used as the title for 1954 novel of the same name by British author William Golding. The episode makes several references to Syd Barrett. Barrett was the original singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist for British band Pink Floyd. Two of his songs, "No Good Trying" and "Terrapin", are featured in the episode.[7]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Lord of the Files" first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 16, 2001.[3] "Lord of the Files" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.2, meaning that it was seen by 6.2% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 6.54 million households,[8][nb 1] and 9.9 million viewers.[9] "Lord of the Flies" was the 51st most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending December 16.[8] The episode eventually aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2002.[3]
The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan of Television Without Pity gave the episode a "C" grade rating. She derided the show's need to place The X-Files logo in the teaser, but ultimately concluded that the episode was a "decent [one] to recap".[10] John Keegan from Critical Myth wrote that the episode "ranks right in the mediocre range" and awarded it a 5 out of 10.[11] He noted, "Overall, this episode did very little for me. I’m sure that the writing staff could have come up with something better than a bad sixth season plot when the idea of a humorous ninth season episode came to the table. Is there any hope that there might be a truly memorable episode where Doggett is allowed to be amused?"[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 one-and-a-half stars out of five. The two argued that the entry was trying to "be a 'Rain King' or a 'Terms of Endearment' and would like to recapture the sweet and charming feel of those early Season Six experiments."[12] However, they noted that because the show was in a different stage—Mulder and Scully were no longer the focus of the show's attention—that "the same style falls flat on its face".[12] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson complained that "The X-Files is draining the trough of teenage angst again".[12]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[8] Thus, 6.2 percent of 105.5 million is 6.54 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Lord of the Flies - Cast Credits (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2002.
2.Jump up ^ "Lord of the Flies". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 16 December 2002. Archived from the original on 10 April 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 201
5.Jump up ^ Spotnitz, Frank, et al (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9: "Lord of the Flies" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
6.Jump up ^ Fraga, p. 231
7.^ Jump up to: a b "Lord of the Flies - Research". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 16 December 2002. Archived from the original on 10 April 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (20 December 2001). "Nielsen Ratings". St. Paul Pioneer Press (MediaNews Group). Retrieved 27 June 2012. (subscription required)
9.Jump up ^ Canton, Maj. "The X-Files – Series – Episode List – Season 9". TV Tango. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
10.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Lord of the Flies". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Keegan, John. "Lord of the Flies". Critical Myth. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, pp. 263–264
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 1933784806.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
"Lord of the Files" at XFiles.com
"Lord of the Flies" at the Internet Movie Database
"Lord of the Files" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2001 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages

This page was last modified on 17 October 2013 at 03:42.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Trust No 1

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

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

"Trust No 1"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 6
Directed by
Tony Wharmby
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX08
Original air date
January 6, 2002
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Terry O'Quinn as Shadow Man
Allison Smith as Patti
Steven Flynn as Man on the Street
Kathryn Joosten as Agent Edie Boal
Fitz Houston as Station Manager
Brianne Prather as Young Woman
James Riker as Baby William
Travis Riker as Baby William[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Lord of the Flies" Next →
 "John Doe"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Trust No 1" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 6, 2002. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Tony Wharmby. "Trust No 1" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 8.4 million viewers; it garnered mixed to negative reviews from television critics, with many feeling that it portrayed the series' characters in a way that was unfaithful to the show's history.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Scully is hopeful about reuniting with her former partner, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) when a complete stranger offers new information about what drove him into hiding. Yet her trust in the stranger may place Mulder in even more danger, for the man turns out to be a super soldier.
"Trust No 1" features former leading star Duchovny via the use of previously filmed footage. It was written in response to fans who felt that, during season eight, Mulder's abduction was not dealt with until his miraculous return in "This is Not Happening"/"Deadalive". Actor Terry O'Quinn, who appears in this episode as the Shadow Man, had appeared as different characters in the second season episode "Aubrey" and the 1998 feature film. The tagline for the episode is "They're Watching."

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is approached by a couple, whose infant apparently shows the same strange abilities as William. The father has discovered that their infant was part of the government's Super Soldier project and begs her to call Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) out of hiding in order to give him this information. John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) confirm that the couple's story matches with what is known about the Super Soldiers. Initially, Doggett encourages Scully to contact Mulder. Scully, fearful for Mulder's safety, falsely claims not to know his whereabouts. All the while, she absently touches a printout of an email that Mulder sent her earlier.
Later, Scully sees the infant's mother, Patti, arguing with her husband, who then drives off. Scully lets her stay with her. Meanwhile, Doggett and Reyes stake out the location where Doggett traced a tipster's call to his cell phone. They see Patti's husband walk inside the apparently abandoned building. Inside, the Shadow Man (Terry O'Quinn) monitors Scully through surveillance. The next morning, Patti turns off the baby monitor and removes William from his crib. Scully confronts Patti with her gun; Patti sets William down. Just then, Patti's husband attempts to pick Scully's lock, but is stopped by Doggett and Reyes. The husband reveals to Scully that he works for the NSA and has no name; Patti says their daughter is just like William, and they only want to keep both children safe.
The Shadow Man calls Scully and explains that he has been watching her for quite some time, and tells her that she has one day to contact Mulder or else he will disappear with a list of the Super Soldiers' identities. Scully finally gives in and contacts Mulder; she tells Doggett that they had worked out a system that, if Mulder was to return, he would be arriving by train. Reyes, Doggett, and the NSA agent cover Scully at the train station. However, as the train pulls up, the Shadow Man appears and guns down the agent before approaching Scully. Before the Shadow Man can kill her, Doggett appears and shoots him twice, sending him falling onto the train tracks where the train seemingly runs over him without stopping.
While Scully consoles Patti, Doggett reports that he cannot find the Shadow Man's body. Scully, fearful that he is a Super Soldier pursuing Mulder, chases after the train with Doggett and Reyes. They get a call saying that someone jumped off a train and into a rock quarry. Doggett and Reyes chase after someone they believe to be Mulder, while Scully goes deeper into the quarry. There, she is attacked by the Shadow Man. Suddenly, the Shadow Man is destroyed by the magnetite being mined from the quarry.[2]
Production[edit]

 

 Terry O'Quinn guest starred in the episode.
"Trust No 1" was written by series creator Chris Carter along with executive producer Frank Spotnitz; it was directed by Tony Wharmby.[3] The episode features former leading star David Duchovny via the use of previously shot footage. According to Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles in their book The Complete X-Files, the episode includes themes "about Orwellian surveillance."[4] "Trust No 1" was written in response to fans who felt that, during season eight, Mulder's abduction was not dealt with until his miraculous return in "This is Not Happening"/"DeadAlive". Despite this, series director Kim Manners was critical of this take on Mulder, noting, "The only thing I thought we didn't do right during seasons eight and nine was that a lot of the shows were about Mulder, and I thought it was a mistake to make a series about a man that wasn't standing in front of the camera."[4] The email addresses that Mulder and Scully use to communicate with each other were real addresses, created and maintained by Ten Thirteen Productions.[5] The tagline for the episode is "They're Watching", changed from the usual "The Truth is Out There".[6]
Actor Terry O'Quinn, who appears in this episode as the Shadow Man, had appeared as different characters in the second season episode "Aubrey" and the 1998 feature film.[7][8] He had also played a recurring role as Peter Watts on Millennium, the sister series to The X-Files, and appeared in the short-lived series Harsh Realm.[9][10] O'Quinn later earned the nickname "Mr. Ten Thirteen", due to his appearance in multiple shows and movies affiliated with Ten Thirteen Productions, the company that produced The X-Files.[10]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Trust No 1" first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 6, 2002.[3] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1, meaning that it was seen by 5.1% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.4 million households,[11][nb 1] and 8.4 million viewers.[12] It was the 55th most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending March 3.[11] The episode eventually aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on December 8, 2002.[3] The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[13]
The episode received mixed to negative reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode an B– grade.[14] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it a 6 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this is not nearly as bad an episode as many people are making it out to be, but it’s not exactly a sterling piece of work, either. It feels like they were shooting for a 'Momento Mori' [sic], and wound up with a 'Zero Sum'. This episode is interesting in the information it provides, and not much else. But in my opinion, it’s better than 'Lord of the Flies'."[15]
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. The two called the entry "an exercise in futility […] at best" and argued that, because Duchovny had left the series, the sense of excitement that he might have made an appearance in the episode was completely gone. Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson heavily criticized Mulder and Scully's characterization, calling Mulder a character the audience "can't recognize any more" and Scully a "gullible patsy".[16] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, wrote a largely negative review of the episode. He derided the series for making it appear that Mulder abandoned the woman he loved and his own child. He noted, "Just because it walks, talks, and sometimes acts like The X-Files, doesn't make it The X-Files."[17]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[11] Thus, 5.1 percent of 105.5 million is 5.4 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "Trust No 1". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 6 January 2002. Archived from the original on 1 April 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "Trust No 1". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 201
5.Jump up ^ "Trust No 1 - Research Information". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 6 January 2002. Archived from the original on 13 August 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
6.Jump up ^ Tony Wharmby (Director) (6 January 2002). "Trust No 1". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 6. Fox.
7.Jump up ^ Brew, Simon (17 July 2008). "Lost's John Locke in The X-Files". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
8.Jump up ^ Rob Bowman (Director) (6 January 1995). "Aubrey". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 12. Fox.
9.Jump up ^ Gibron, Bill (20 July 2004). "Millennium: Season 1: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 60
11.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (8 January 2002). "Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings". Associated Press Archives. Retrieved 27 June 2012. (subscription required)
12.Jump up ^ Canton, Maj. "The X-Files – Series – Episode List – Season 9". TV Tango. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
13.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). Fox.
14.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "TrustNo1". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Trustno1". Critical Myth. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
16.Jump up ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 264–265
17.Jump up ^ Kessenich, pp. 195–200
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
"Trust No 1" on The X-Files official website
"Trust No 1" at the Internet Movie Database
"Trust No 1" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2002 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 20:38.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
 

 

 

John Doe (The X-Files)

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

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

"John Doe"
The X-Files episode
John Doe TXF.jpg
One of Doggett's various flashbacks
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 7
Directed by
Michelle MacLaren
Written by
Vince Gilligan
Production code
9ABX07
Original air date
January 13, 2002
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh
Alfred De Contreras as Bartender
Ramón Franco as Nestor
Eduardo Antonio Garcia as Mariano Molina
Jacob Handy as Luke Doggett
Zachary Handy as Luke Doggett
Charlie Hartsock as Lawyer
Bo Kane as McCormick
Zitto Kazann as Caballero
Barbara Patrick as Barbara Doggett
FJ Rio as Second Officer
René Rivera as First Officer
Luis Robledo as Crackhead
Lucy Rodriguez as Operator
Frank Roman as Domingo Salmeron[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Trust No 1" Next →
 "Hellbound"

List of The X-Files episodes
"John Doe" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on January 13, 2002 on the Fox network. It was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan, and directed by co-executive producer Michelle MacLaren. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. "John Doe" earned a Nielsen rating of 5.0 and was viewed by 5.28 million households. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Doggett wakes up in Mexico with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Meanwhile, Reyes and Scully struggle to locate him. The two later discover that Doggett's memory has been taken by a "memory vampire" that runs a drug cartel.
"John Doe" was written after Gilligan had been thinking of a story involving a "memory vampire" for months. Furthermore, the episode was MacLaren's directorial debut. Noted director Kim Manners helped guide her through the process. Director of photography Bill Roe used specific lighting for the episode; indoor scenes are dark and hard to make out whereas outside scenes are bright and over-saturated with light. The Mexican hotel apartment was created from Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) old apartment set.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production 2.1 Writing and directing
2.2 Filming and effects
3 Reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
John Doggett (Robert Patrick) awakens inside an abandoned warehouse to find a man in the process of stealing one of his shoes. Doggett chases the man outside, where he summons two Mexican police officers. One of the policemen hits the man with his nightstick, while the other demands his identification. When Doggett finds he has no papers, the officer asks him his name. Doggett is shocked to realize he can't remember his own identity.
Doggett is taken to the local jail, where he meets a fellow prisoner named Domingo. Domingo is eventually freed and offers to have Doggett bailed out as well, under the condition that Doggett help him perform his criminal tasks. Doggett agrees, but changes his mind once he is released. Nestor, Domingo's friend, pulls a gun, but Doggett quickly overpowers him and takes the weapon. Doggett returns to the warehouse in hopes of finding clues to his identity. From time to time, he experiences flashbacks of his wife and son, but has no idea who they are.
In the meantime, in Washington, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) examine video footage from a security camera positioned at the Mexican border. FBI Deputy Director Alvin Kersh disbands the task force searching for Doggett, believing the video is proof that he entered Mexico on his own free will and was not abducted. Meanwhile, Doggett phones a United States Marine public affairs office, hoping his Marine tattoo will shed some light on his true identity. Before he is able to ask any questions, he notices policemen nearby and flees.
Scully traces Doggett's phone call and has Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) travel to the Mexican town where he was last seen It is revealed that Caballero, the head of the local drug cartel, is a "memory vampire": he can absorb the memories of those posing a threat to his operation. Reyes finds Doggett and faces gunfire from the police, who are controlled by Caballero's cartel; all the while, Reyes attempts to remind Doggett of who they are. Doggett remembers his son. The agents are rescued by Skinner and the Mexican Federales. Doggett tearfully admits that he is happy to have all of his memories, even the bad ones, "as long as I remember the good.”[2]
Production[edit]
Writing and directing[edit]

 

 "John Doe" was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan.
"John Doe" was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The episode marked Gilligan's first solo episode for the ninth season. Gilligan had "fiddled" with the story of a "memory vampire" for months, before writing it. The notion to set the story in Mexico and center it around Robert Patrick's character was Frank Spotnitz's idea. From there the story "went together fairly easily."[3]
"John Doe" was co-executive MacLaren's directorial debut. Although she had never helmed an episode before, MacLaren utilized information that she had gathered by working with Kim Manners, one of the series' prolific directors. She later noted, "Kim taught me how he breaks down a script and prepares his shot list. The most powerful thing he said to me was that he imagines the show all cut together and sees the movie in his head and really visualizes it."[4] Gilligan later said that MacLaren "really rose to the occasion and really did her homework."[4] The bus crash scene was created with the use of elaborate "smoke and mirrors", according to Gilligan.[5] Over nine cameras were used to film the entire scene. Several of the cameras were under-cranked in order to give the illusion that the bus was going faster than it really was. A steel ramp was buried in the ground to flip the bus. However, the scene was reportedly torpid to film. Gilligan later joked that "You could have stood there and had a sandwich while the thing was backing up: it was so slow."[5]
Filming and effects[edit]
Director of photography Bill Roe later stated that he borrowed motifs from Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film Traffic for some of the shots.[4] In addition, before filming, he decided to do various test shots to get the lighting right. The crew ended up shooting "exteriors three, four stops over what you should shoot it at", resulting in very washed out outdoor scenes.[3] Roe and his crew had a hard time developing the various lighting contrasts for the episode. When talking about the episode, Roe said: "it was really dark so we had this huge contrast of lighting. It was dark and warm and brown. When you go inside, you can barely see things, but when you're outside, it's just blaring."[3] To create the Mexican town featured in the episode, scenes were filmed at a small town located outside of Los Angeles. A matte of the town's background and blue sky were then cut and a faux Mexican background was added. In addition, Mat Beck was given a flyer, and he duplicated it, making several strings of posters that did not exist when the shots were filmed.[6]
When creating the Mexican hotel apartment, the crew re-decorated what was once Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) apartment on the show. Production Designer Corey Kaplan said of the development of the episode that, "It was very creative and very rewarding for us as an art department, to create the complete total look of being in another culture."[3] Several Spanish songs are featured in the episode. When the characters are at the cantina, the song "La Calentura" by Roberto Ruiz is playing. During scenes in the garage "Juana La Cubana" by Fito Olivares is featured.[7]
Reception[edit]
"John Doe" first aired in the United States on January 13, 2002.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.0, meaning that it was seen by 5.0% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.28 million households.[9][nb 1] "John Doe" was the 66th most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending January 13.[9] The episode later aired in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2002 on BBC Two.[8]
The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode an A– rating.[10] Juliette Harrisson of Den of Geek named "John Doe" the best stand-alone episode of season nine and called it "a refreshing change of pace".[11] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a glowing review and rated it five stars out of five. The two praised Gilligan's script and Patrick's performance, noting that the former "writes the script with a dirtiness that gives it real power" and the latter's acting was "extraordinary".[12] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson wrote that "'John Doe' shows that there's still a fresh take to be had on The X-Files after all".[12] Meghan Deans of Tor.com applauded the episode and called it "a clear bright spot in a dark and dismal season, both in its script and in its shooting."[13] She felt that the focus on Doggett was effectively done, and the script focused on "strong character arcs", which worked towards its advantage.[13] In the end, she concluded that the episode was "part of the X-Files, moreso than would an alien or a mutant" because it focused on the idea that "pain makes you, more pain makes you better, and living within that pain keeps you alive."[13]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[9] Thus, 5.0 percent of 105.5 million is 5.28 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "John Doe". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 13 January 2002. Archived from the original on 9 April 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "John Doe". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Chris Carter, et al (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 202
5.^ Jump up to: a b Frank Spotnitz, et al (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9: "John Doe" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
6.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2002). Special Effects by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin: "Mexican Town With Matte Background" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
7.Jump up ^ "John Doe - Research Information". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 13 January 2002. Archived from the original on 13 August 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
9.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (15 January 2002). "Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings". Associated Press Archive. Retrieved 24 March 2012. (subscription required)
10.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "John Dow". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Harrison, Juliette (6 September 2011). "A look back over The X-Files' finest stand-alone episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 265–266
13.^ Jump up to: a b c Deans, Meghan (June 6, 2013). "The X-Files: 'John Doe'". Tor.com. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
"John Doe" at TheXFiles.com
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
"John Doe" at the Internet Movie Database
"John Doe" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2002 television episodes
Screenplays by Vince Gilligan



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 16 October 2013 at 05:07.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Hellbound (The X-Files)

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

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

"Hellbound"
The X-Files episode
HellboundSkinless.jpg
Ed's vision of a skinless Dr. Holland. The series' special effects team used over 200 prostethic pieces, plus fake veins, to create the effect.
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 8
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
David Amann
Production code
9ABX04
Original air date
January 27, 2002
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

Robert Beckwith as FBI Cadet
Katy Boyer as Dr. Lisa Holland
David Figlioli as Victor Dale Potts
James McDonnell as Detective Van Allen
Cyril O'Reilly as Ed Kelso
James Riker as Reborn Soul
Travis Riker as Reborn Soul
Don Swayze as Terrance Pruit
George D. Wallace as Dr. Bertram Mueller
Kari Whitman as Roxanne[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "John Doe" Next →
 "Provenance"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Hellbound" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on January 27, 2002. It was written by David Amann and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology, or the overarching fictional history. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 7.8 million viewers in its initial broadcast. It received mixed reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Reyes takes the lead while investigating an X-File case surrounding a man found skinned alive. When she discovers that he had visions of a similar thing, she calls on Scully’s expertise to help with the investigation.
"Hellbound" was written to take Gish's character into a darker area. The episode's plot is similar to mythology surrounding the Aztec agriculture god Xipe Totec. To create the skinned human bodies, the makeup team sprayed mannequin with layers of latex. The layers were then peeled off and positioned onto other mannequins that had been designed to resemble the actors. The faux skin was created to look "moist" and was composed of over 200 prostethic pieces.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
In Novi, Virginia, a group of ex-convicts, led by Dr. Lisa Holland (Katy Boyer), meet; the members discuss atoning for their sins. Terry Pruit (Don Swayze) tells the others that, since he has discovered the group, he has made amends for his past. However, another member, Ed (Cyril O'Reilly), tells him that humans are unable to change and that they are both destined for hell. Ed's friend, Victor Potts (David Figlioli), tells Holland that he's been having nightmares involving people being skinned alive. That night, he has a vision of Ed skinned. Several hours later, Victor is murdered. Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) asks John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to examine Potts' body. Reyes explains that, because Potts had a premonition of his death, the case is an X-File. Meanwhile, at a butchery, Terry and Ed get into an argument. Terry later has a vision—similar to Victor's—in which Ed is skinned alive. That night, he is attacked and brutally flayed.
Reyes and Doggett arrive in Novi and talk to Detective Van Allen (James McDonnell), who seems apathetic about the case. At the same time, Scully contacts Dr. Bertram Mueller (George D. Wallace), a former medical examiner who autopsied several bodies in the 1960s that were skinned in a manner similar to Potts. Mueller tells Scully that the sheriff at the time did not pay much attention to the cases, emphasizing that there was more than one victim, and that he later killed himself. Reyes and Doggett receive news of Terry's attack and arrive at the local butchery to find him strung up among the pigs. While looking around the crime scene, Doggett discovers that Terry is still alive; Terry weakly says Ed's name. Doggett and the local police arrest Ed, who claims that he is innocent. Reyes believes him and admits that she too is having similar visions. Ed is freed, but not before having a vision in which Dr. Holland is skinned. In the meantime, Scully discovers that Potts and Terry were both born on the same day as two of the 1960s murder victims.
Doggett, acting on Reyes' insistence that Ed is in danger, stakes out his house. Ed, however, is skinned regardless of Doggett's attempts to protect him. Reyes admits to Doggett that she is having flashes of the same premonitions that the victims are experiencing. She tells Doggett that Ed's body was gagged with a rag coated in coal dust from a mine, even though she has never seen his body. Reyes and Doggett head to the mine from which they believe the dust originated. Doggett finds the skeleton of a sheriff who killed himself in 1909.
Reyes finds newspaper clippings explaining the story: In 1868, a group of four miners murdered a man. The murderers' souls have been reincarnated several times since, only to be brutally skinned by the soul of the victim. In each case, the avenger is a prominent figure of the law.
Reyes soon stumbles onto the collected skin of the victims, but is attacked by Van Allen. Doggett eventually finds her unharmed. Reyes explains to Doggett that Van Allen is avenging his own murder and that all the murders that are linked to the case have been in groups of four. Reyes believes Van Allen takes his own life each time in order to restart the series of murders. Reyes frantically calls Holland, informing her that she is the fourth victim. Van Allen arrives at the church, but is stopped by Reyes. Later, Reyes muses to Scully that in the past, she had always failed to stop Van Allen's spirit. In this life, however, she managed to succeed. The shot changes to Van Allen dying, only to be reincarnated into a newborn baby.[2]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode's plot is similar to mythology surrounding the Aztec agriculture god Xipe Totec.
"Hellbound" was written by supervising producer David Amann and directed by Kim Manners.[3] The entry was Amann's fourth episode written for the series, after season seven's "Rush" and "Chimera" and season eight's "Invocation".[4] Executive producer John Shiban later explained that, since Doggett and Reyes were in control of the X-Files, the producers needed to give one of them a drive. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz was interested in taking Annabeth Gish's character into a darker area.[5] According to Mat Hurwitz and Chris Knowles in their book The Complete X-Files, the episode deals with themes of "reincarnation and the idea of karmic justice."[6] Shiban noted that the conceit of the episode was whether Reyes was "a good person or a bad person? Did she fight evil, or did she let evil happen."[5] It has been noted that the episode's plot is similar to mythology surrounding the Aztec agriculture god Xipe Totec.[7] In mythology, Xipe Totec is often represented wearing a flayed human skin, usually with the flayed skin of the hands falling loose from the wrists.[8][9]
The production crew was tasked with building a refrigerated building the size of a warehouse for the slaughterhouse scenes. In order to achieve the shots, an old dairy was converted for filming. 300 slaughter pigs were brought in for the sequences, as well as 200 rubber pigs.[5] The skinned human bodies in the episode were created by spraying a mannequin with a layer of latex. The layer was then peeled off. Makeup technicians then took the "peeled skin" and positioned it onto other mannequins that had been designed to resemble the actors.[7] According to Hurwitz and Knowles, the effects were "a level of detail and sophistication never before seen on series television."[6] The makeup staff worked quickly; according to Robert Patrick, the team "literally did a 36-hour day to pull off some of" the effects.[6] The faux skin was created to look "moist" and was composed of over 200 prostethic pieces. Fake veins were then overlaid on top of the skin. Makeup department head Cheri Montesanto-Medcalf later claimed that "seven makeup artists work[ed] seven hours on each person [for] ten days.[5]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Hellbound" originally aired in the United States on the Fox network on January 27, 2002, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on January 5, 2003.[3] The episode's initial broadcast was viewed by approximately 5.4 million households,[nb 1] and 7.7 million viewers,[11] making it the seventy-first most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending January 27.[10] "Hellbound" earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1, meaning that it was seen by 5.1% of the nation's estimated households.[10]
The episode has generally received mixed reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode a "B" grade.[12] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a positive review and complimented its exploration of Reyes' character. He awarded it an 8 out of 10 and wrote, "Overall, a wonderful unexpected look into the underlying motivations of a character that, until now, has been only vaguely drawn for the audience. Thankfully it is completely consistent with what we have seen before. The greatest drawback may be that we are unlikely to see this theme explored much further, since this is now officially the final season."[13] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated the episode four stars out of five. The two wrote positively of the entry's plot—comparing it to the first season episode "Squeeze" and the fourth season episode "The Field Where I Died"—calling the writing "delightfully subtle."[14] They praised Amann's misdirection, noting that the episode contains several red herrings. Shearman and Pearson also praised the episode's effects, calling the skinless bodies "the high point of the series' trading in gore".[14]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[10] Thus, 5.1 percent of 105.5 million is 5.4 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ Hellbound - Cast Credits (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2002.
2.Jump up ^ "Hellbound". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
4.Jump up ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, pp. 236–240
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Spotnitz, Frank, et al (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9: "Hellbound" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 202
7.^ Jump up to: a b "Hellbound - Research Information". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 27 January 2002. Archived from the original on 22 December 2002. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
8.Jump up ^ Fernández, p. 60
9.Jump up ^ Moctezuma and Olguín, p. 422.
10.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (30 January 2002). "Last Week's Top TV Shows". Press-Telegram (MediaNews Group). p. A14. Retrieved 27 June 2012. (subscription required)
11.Jump up ^ Kessenich, p. 193
12.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Hellbound". Television Without Pity. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
13.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Hellbound". Critical Myth. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 266–267
BibliographyFernández, Adela (1992, 1996). Dioses Prehispánicos de México. Mexico City: Panorama Editorial. ISBN 968-38-0306-7. (Spanish)
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 1933784806.
Moctezuma, Eduardo Matos; and Felipe Solis Olguín (2002). Aztecs. London: Royal Academy of Arts. ISBN 1-903973-22-8.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
"Hellbound" at XFiles.com
"Hellbound" at the Internet Movie Database
"Hellbound" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2002 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 17 October 2013 at 03:43.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   


 

Provenance (The X-Files)

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

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

"Provenance"
The X-Files episode
CraftRubbings.jpg
The rubbings from the alien craft. The episode's reference to the rubbings is a direct continuation of the sixth season finale "Biogenesis" and the seventh season opener "The Sixth Extinction".
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 9
Directed by
Kim Manners
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX10
Original air date
March 3, 2002
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh
Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer
Bruce Harwood as Byers
Tom Braidwood as Frohike
Dean Haglund as Langly
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Neal McDonough as Motorcycle Man/Comer
Denis Forest as Lone Man
McNally Sagal as Overcoat Woman
James Parks as Agent Terry Sullivan
Alan Dale as Toothpick Man
Joe Colligan as Driver Agent
Brian Catalano as Passenger Agent
Randy Hall as U-Haul Driver
James Riker as Baby William
Travis Riker as Baby William
Laura Leigh Hughes as Kersh’s Assistant[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Hellbound" Next →
 "Providence"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Provenance" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 3, 2002. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners. "Provenance" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 5.5 and was watched by 5.8 million households and 9.7 million viewers. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
The show centers on special agents of the FBI who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, when rubbings from the spaceship resurface the FBI hides its investigation from the X-Files. Meanwhile, Scully is forced to take drastic measures when she discovers a threat to William.
"Provenance" introduced the character of the Toothpick Man, played by Alan Dale. This character became the leader of the New Syndicate and worked within the FBI during the show's ninth season. The episode makes reference to rubbings from an alien wreck, a direct continuation from the plots of the sixth season finale "Biogenesis" and the seventh season opener "The Sixth Extinction".

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Navajo rubbings are found in the satchel of crashed motorcyclist attempting to cross the Canada-United States border. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is called into a meeting with Alvin Kersh (James Pickens, Jr.), Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) and a few unknown men. She is shown a copy of the alien rubbings from the crash and is asked whether she can identify them. After the meeting, Scully explains to John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) that the rubbings are similar to ones she found on a wrecked spacecraft three years prior. Meanwhile, the motorcyclist uses an alien artifact which begins to heal the wounds from his crash.
Meanwhile, in Alberta, Canada, a downed spacecraft is being excavated under the direction of Josepho, the leader of a UFO cult. At the FBI, Doggett breaks into Skinner's office and steals the rubbings along with an FBI personnel file belonging to Agent Robert Comer, the motorcyclist. Reyes reveals that Comer's rubbings do not match those from Africa, suggesting the existence of a second craft. Meanwhile, Comer overpowers Margaret Scully (Sheila Larken) and locks himself in William's room. Scully arrives and, after a struggle, is forced to shoot Comer when he tries to smother the baby.
When confronted by Scully, a mortally wounded Comer replies that William "has to die". Scully searches Comer's jacket and discovers the artifact. Later, in Calgary, one of the cultists, the Overcoat Woman, sees a newspaper headline about Comer's shooting. She rushes to the dig site and informs Josepho. In Washington, Kersh admits to Scully and Doggett that Comer had gone undercover into Josepho's cult, and reveals that Josepho is a former U.S. military officer. Kersh explains that Comer was given the assignment to investigate a series of death threats against Fox Mulder (David Duchovny).
As Reyes brings William back to Scully's apartment, Comer's artifact flies over William and hovers above his head. Scully, realizing something is wrong, plans to drive William to somewhere safe. At the same time, Doggett notices the Overcoat Woman watching them nearby. As Scully and Reyes drive away, Doggett confronts the woman at gunpoint, but she runs him over and knocks him unconscious. Scully places William under the care of The Lone Gunmen, but they are soon ambushed by the Overcoat Woman. With Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard Langly (Dean Haglund) incapacitated, the woman opens the back door of the van to find John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood) holding William inside the vehicle. The woman puts a gun to Byers' head.[2]
Production[edit]

 

 The episode marked the first appearance of Alan Dale as the Toothpick Man.
"Provenance" was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners. Manners was very pleased with Anderson's performance in the episode. He later noted, "There was something about Gillian that was very sexual."[3] He further elaborated, "There's some burning within her that really comes across on screen. She really is brilliant, and she brings so much; the camera loves her."[3] A large portion of the episode was based on the ancient astronaut theory; a theory that proposes intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans.[4] The themes had previously been visited in the "Biogenesis"/"The Sixth Extinction"/"Amor Fati" story arc.[3][4]
The episode marked the first appearance of Alan Dale as the Toothpick Man, the leader of the New Syndicate who works within the FBI.[5] An interview with Digital Spy described him as "effectively [stepping] into the nicotine-stained chair of the departed Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) as the head of a shady new syndicate, although he was later exposed as an alien."[6] Laura Leigh Hughes makes her third and final appearance as Kersh's Assistant. She had previously appeared in the sixth season episodes "Triangle" and "Dreamland."[7][8]
The scenes in Calgary were actually shot in the back of the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles. In order to convert the Los Angeles cityscape into Calgary's, Mat Beck created a matte of the shot; the background buildings were then edited out. A separate shot of Calgary was superimposed in the background and the scenes were mixed.[9]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Provenance" first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on March 3, 2002.[10] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.5, meaning that it was seen by 5.5% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.8 million households.[11][nb 1] "Provenance" was viewed by 9.7 million viewers[12] and was the 61st most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending March 3.[11] The episode eventually aired on BBC Two on January 12, 2003.[10] "Provenance" was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[13]
"Provenance" received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity awarded the episode an A– grade.[14] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a largely positive review and awarded it a 9 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this was a powerfully intense episode with plenty of strong characterization and ties to former continuity. In short, this episode had something for everyone. I only hope that the next episode manages to live up to this beginning."[15] Jeffrey Robinson from DVD Talk concluded that "Provenance", along with its follow-up "Providence", "does a fairly good job without including Duchovny" due to its adherence to "the series' main storyline [about] the government conspiracies."[16]
Other reviews were more negative. 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. The two noted that Anderson was constantly playing "a mother who's always crying, shouting or looking miserable" in the episode.[17] They wrote that the episode's "characters no longer make sense" and that the plot has "been so required to dance through the little conspiracy hoops that there's no consistency any more."[17] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson criticized the idea to suggest that Mulder died in the episode, due to the fact that Carter announced Duchovny would return for the season finale.[17]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[11] Thus, 5.5 percent of 105.5 million is 5.8 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "Provenance". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 3 March 2002. Archived from the original on 28 June 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "Provenance". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 202
4.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 169
5.Jump up ^ Kim Manners (Director) (3 March 2002). "Provenance". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 9. Fox.
6.Jump up ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (8 March 2009). "All Hail the Mighty Alan Dales". Digital Spy. Nat Mags. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
7.Jump up ^ Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (Writer and Director) (22 November 1998). "Triangle". The X-Files. Season 6. Episode 3. Fox.
8.Jump up ^ Kim Manners and Michael Watkins (Directors) (29 November 1998; 6 December 1998). "Dreamland". The X-Files. Season 6. Episode 4 and 5. Fox.
9.Jump up ^ Paul Rabwin (2002). Special Effects by Mat Beck with Commentary by Paul Rabwin: "Calgary Matte" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Kim Manners et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (6 March 2002). "This Week's Top TV Shows". Press-Telegram (MediaNews Group). Retrieved 27 June 2012. (subscription required)
12.Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie (6 March 2002). "Usual suspects dominate Post-Olympic TV Numbers". The Hollywood Reporter (Lynne Segall). p. 6.
13.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). Fox.
14.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Provenance (1)". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
15.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Provenance". Critical Myth. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
16.Jump up ^ Robinson, Jeffrey (11 May 2004). "X-Files Ninth Season". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 268
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
"Provenance" at XFiles.com
"Provenance" at the Internet Movie Database
"Provenance" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2002 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 17 October 2013 at 03:41.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
 

 

 

Providence (The X-Files)

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

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

"Providence"
The X-Files episode
ShipStars Providence.jpg
Baby William's cries activate the alien ship. Aspects of William's alien heritage and abilities were criticized by television commentators.
 
Episode no.
Season 9
 Episode 10
Directed by
Chris Carter
Written by
Chris Carter
Frank Spotnitz
Production code
9ABX11
Original air date
March 10, 2002
Running time
44 minutes
Guest actors

James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh
Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer
Bruce Harwood as Byers
Tom Braidwood as Frohike
Dean Haglund as Langly
Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully
Neal McDonough as Motorcycle Man/Comer
McNally Sagal as Overcoat Woman
Denis Forest as Josepho
Alan Dale as Toothpick Man
Kerrie Keane as Nurse
Jamie McShane as Injured Soldier
Brian Morri as Soldier #1
Christian Hastings as Soldier #2
Brad Kalas as Cult Man
Kevin McCorkle as Cult Man #2
James Riker as Baby William
Travis Riker as Baby William[1]
 
Episode chronology

← Previous
 "Provenance" Next →
 "Audrey Pauley"

List of The X-Files episodes
"Providence" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 10, 2002, and later aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on January 19, 2003. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Carter. "Providence" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.2 and was viewed by 8.4 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from critics; some reviewers enjoyed the story and the show's way of integrating an absent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) into the storyline, whereas others felt the plot was ludicrous.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Scully, distrustful of both Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes), circumvents the FBI's investigation into William's kidnapping and performs her own, assisted by Reyes and The Lone Gunmen. Scully discovers that William has been taken by a UFO cult that believes William is destined to become the savior of mankind, but only if Fox Mulder is still alive. If Mulder is dead, William will lead the forces of evil: the alien invaders.
Co-written and directed by Carter, the episode opens with a shot of a fire fight during the Gulf War and the Super Soldiers involvement therein. Many of the cast and crew were pleased with Carter's directing, including Anderson and Gish. The episode makes reference to rubbings from an alien wreck, a direct continuation from the plots of the sixth season finale "Biogenesis" and the seventh season opener "The Sixth Extinction".

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Production
3 Broadcast and reception
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Zeke Josepho recounts a strange experience during the First Gulf War and how he claims it brought him to God: as his squad was ambushed during the Battle of Al Busayyah and on the verge of defeat, when four mysterious men showed up and defeated the enemy with complete ease. While Josepho thinks of them as guardian angels, they were actually the almost-indestructible Super Soldiers. In the present, Josepho stands above the wreckage of a spacecraft in Canada.[2]
At the FBI, Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) discloses to a room of agents that Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) son William has been abducted. Follmer notes that The Lone Gunmen have identified the Overcoat Woman, who took the child and ran over John Doggett (Robert Patrick). However, Follmer leaves out any potential motive for these crimes, which causes a frustrated Scully to leave the room. Byers (Bruce Harwood) reveals that he put a cell phone in the baby’s belongings so they can track the Overcoat Woman; Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and Scully head out to find William. The two eventually find William's car seat along with the cell phone in a deserted van. Meanwhile, the Overcoat Woman reports to Josepho that she has William.
Scully uses the alien artifact to heal Comer, who explains how Josepho believes that a physical manifestation of God exists inside the spacecraft. According to an ancient prophecy, William is destined to become the savior of humanity, but only if Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is still alive. If he dies, William will instead lead the Colonists. Comer claims that Mulder was supposedly killed by the cult in order for the aliens to successfully invade; he tried to kill William to prevent him from causing humanity's destruction. Suddenly, a nurse and the Toothpick Man (Alan Dale) arrive and ask Reyes and Scully to leave. The agents leave Comer alone with the Toothpick Man.
Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) reports to Reyes and Scully that Comer has died. Reyes accuses Toothpick Man and the others in the room of killing Comer. Meanwhile, Scully visits Doggett, who warns Scully not to trust the cultists. However, Scully goes to meet Josepho near Calgary. Josepho claims to be protecting William, but demands Mulder's head as collateral in exchange for the baby's release. When Josepho returns to the wreck site, the Overcoat Woman relates that the aperture of the craft started glowing after William started crying. The craft soon rises up out of the ground. Looking on the site from a distance, Scully and Reyes see the craft burst out of an enclosure and into space, lighting it on fire as it goes. The two find an unharmed William among the charred bodies of the cultists.
At the FBI headquarters, Follmer asks Kersh to remove his name from the final report. Instead, Kersh rebukes him and goes in to see the Toothpick Man, who is revealed to be a Super Soldier.[3]
Production[edit]

 

 Part of the plot for "Providence" was based on the ancient astronaut theory.
"Providence" was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz.[4] Series co-star Robert Patrick later joked about the plot, noting, "The baby's the Messiah. I don't understand any of it. I'm Episcopalian; I don't get it."[5] The episode was directed by Carter as well. Carter decided to open the episode with a shot of a fire fight during the Gulf War and the Super Soldiers' involvement therein. Many of the cast and crew were pleased with Carter's directing. Gillian Anderson said that she thought "Chris has directed some of our best episodes. He's very even tempered, and he's quiet and gentle and quite nice to have as a director, because that energy can't help but pervade the rest of the set […] He's got a clear vision, and he's good at communicating that."[5] Annabeth Gish noted that Carter's directing was "very meticulous" and that he "knows exactly what he wants".[5]
A large portion of the episode, as well as the previous entry, was based on the ancient astronaut theory; a theory that proposes intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans.[6] The themes had previously been visited in the "Biogenesis"/"The Sixth Extinction"/"Amor Fati" story arc.[5][6]
Broadcast and reception[edit]
"Providence" first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on March 10, 2002.[4] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.2, meaning that it was seen by 5.2% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.49 million households,[7][nb 1] and 8.4 million viewers.[8] "Providence" was the 56th most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending March 10.[7] The episode eventually aired on BBC Two on January 19, 2003.[4] "Providence" was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[9]
"Providence" received mixed reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity awarded the episode a B+ rating.[10] John Keegan from Critical Myth gave the episode a largely positive review and awarded it a 9 out of 10. He wrote, "Overall, this episode took the promising beginning of the last episode and delivered a strong and surprising larger meaning to the pieces of the mythology we’ve seen over the past few seasons. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… those who bash these episodes simply because they relate to the “new direction” ought to be ashamed of themselves. With this kind of creativity, this series could easily end in a way that makes the entire series one seamless tapestry."[11] Jeffrey Robinson from DVD Talk concluded that "Providence", along with the previous episode "Provenance", "does a fairly good job without including Duchovny" due to its adherence to "the series' main storyline [about] the government conspiracies."[12]
Other reviews were more negative. 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. The called the entry "shallow and pretentious, and internally inconsistent" and derided its plot. They wrote that "at the centre of [the show's] mythology [is] a situation dependent on Mulder and a baby. One of them is absent, and one of them can't talk."[13] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson criticized the line asking for Mulder's head, but praised the episode's teaser.[13] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, wrote a largely negative review of the episode and derided its plot. He wrote that "as this series winds down, you would think Carter and Spotnitz would be in a hurry to resolve some of the myriad of questions they've posed. Instead, 'Providence' was just more of what we've come to expect the past two seasons."[14]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[7] Thus, 5.2 percent of 105.5 million is 5.49 million households.
References[edit]
Footnotes
1.Jump up ^ "Providence". XFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. 10 March 2002. Archived from the original on 28 June 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
2.Jump up ^ "Providence - 9X11". InsideTheX. March 10, 2002. Retrieved June 2, 2013. "MAKHAFAR AL BUSAYYAH, IRAQ"
3.Jump up ^ "Providence". BBC Cult. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Kim Manners, et al (booklet). The X-Files: The Complete Ninth Season (Liner notes). Fox.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 202
6.^ Jump up to: a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 169
7.^ Jump up to: a b c The Associated Press (12 March 2002). "Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings". Associated Press Archives. Retrieved 27 June 2012. (subscription required)
8.Jump up ^ Canton, Maj. "The X-Files – Series – Episode List – Season 9". TV Tango. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
9.Jump up ^ Kim Manners, et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). Fox.
10.Jump up ^ Morgan, Jessica. "Providence (2)". Television Without Pity. NBC Universal. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
11.Jump up ^ Keegan, John. "Providence". Critical Myth. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
12.Jump up ^ Robinson, Jeffrey (11 May 2004). "X-Files Ninth Season". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 269
14.Jump up ^ Kessenich, pp. 200–203
BibliographyHurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 1933784806.
Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1553698126.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 097594469X.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: TXF Season 9
"Providence" at XFiles.com
"Providence" at the Internet Movie Database
"Providence" at TV.com

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

 
­Seasons: 1·
 ­2·
 ­3·
 ­4·
 ­5·
 ­6·
 ­7·
 ­8·
 ­9
 
 
Season 9
­"Nothing Important Happened Today"·
 ­"Dæmonicus"·
 ­"4-D"·
 ­"Lord of the Flies"·
 ­"Trust No 1"·
 ­"John Doe"·
 ­"Hellbound"·
 ­"Provenance"·
 ­"Providence"·
 ­"Audrey Pauley"·
 ­"Underneath"·
 ­"Improbable"·
 ­"Scary Monsters"·
 ­"Jump the Shark"·
 ­"William"·
 ­"Release"·
 ­"Sunshine Days"·
 ­"The Truth"
 

 

Categories: The X-Files (season 9) episodes
2002 television episodes



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Edit links
This page was last modified on 17 October 2013 at 03:41.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki