The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fictiondrama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 10, to May 19, on Fox. The program spanned nine seasons, with episodes. A short tenth season consisting of six episodes premiered on January 24, , and concluded on February 22, Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which premiered on January 3, , and concluded on March 21, In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: The film The X-Files, which took place as part of the TV series continuity, and the stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in , six years after the original television run had ended.
The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a medical doctor and a skeptic, is assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder's discoveries, offer alternate rational theories to his work, and thus return him to mainstream cases. Early in the series, both agents become pawns in a larger conflict and come to trust only each other and a few select people. The agents also discover an agenda of the government to keep the existence of extraterrestrial life a secret. They develop a close relationship which begins as a platonic friendship, but becomes a romance by the end of the series. In addition to the series-spanning story arc, "monster of the week" episodes form roughly two-thirds of all episodes.
The X-Files was inspired by earlier television series which featured elements of suspense and speculative fiction, including The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside, Twin Peaks, and especially Kolchak: The Night Stalker. When creating the main characters, Carter sought to reverse gender stereotypes by making Mulder a believer and Scully a skeptic. The first seven seasons featured Duchovny and Anderson equally. In the eighth and ninth seasons, Anderson took precedence while Duchovny appeared intermittently. New main characters were introduced: FBI agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). Mulder and Scully's boss, Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), also became a main character. The first five seasons of The X-Files were filmed and produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, before eventually moving to Los Angeles to accommodate Duchovny. The series later returned to Vancouver to film The X-Files: I Want to Believe as well as the tenth and eleventh seasons of the series.
The X-Files was a hit for the Fox network and received largely positive reviews, although its long-term story arc was criticized near the conclusion. Initially considered a cult series, it turned into a pop culture touchstone that tapped into public mistrust of governments and large institutions and embraced conspiracy theories and spirituality. Both the series itself and lead actors Duchovny and Anderson received multiple awards and nominations, and by its conclusion the show was the longest-running science fiction series in U.S. television history. The series also spawned a franchise which includes Millennium and The Lone Gunmen spin-offs, two theatrical films and accompanying merchandise.
Premise[edit]
General[edit]
The X-Files follows the careers and personal lives of FBI Special AgentsFox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Mulder is a talented profiler and strong believer in the supernatural. He is also adamant about the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and its presence on Earth. This set of beliefs earns him the nickname "Spooky Mulder" and an assignment to a little-known department that deals with unsolved cases, known as the X-Files. His belief in the paranormal springs from the claimed abduction of his sister Samantha Mulder by extraterrestrials when Mulder was Her abduction drives Mulder throughout most of the series. Because of this, as well as more nebulous desires for vindication and the revelation of truths kept hidden by human authorities, Mulder struggles to maintain objectivity in his investigations.[6]
Agent Scully is a foil for Mulder in this regard. As a medical doctor and natural skeptic, Scully approaches cases with complete detachment even when Mulder, despite his considerable training, loses his objectivity.[7] She is partnered with Mulder initially so that she can debunk Mulder's nonconforming theories, often supplying logical, scientific explanations for the cases' apparently unexplainable phenomena. Although she is frequently able to offer scientific alternatives to Mulder's deductions, she is rarely able to refute them completely. Over the course of the series, she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her own ability to approach the cases scientifically.[8] After Mulder's abduction at the hands of aliens in the seventh season finale "Requiem", Scully becomes a "reluctant believer" who manages to explain the paranormal with science.[9]
Various episodes also deal with the relationship between Mulder and Scully, originally platonic, but that later develops romantically.[10] Mulder and Scully are joined by John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) late in the series, after Mulder is abducted. Doggett replaces him as Scully's partner and helps her search for him, later involving Reyes, of whom Doggett had professional knowledge.[11][12] The initial run of The X-Files ends when Mulder is secretly subjected to a military tribunal for breaking into a top secret military facility and viewing plans for alien invasion and colonization of Earth. He is found guilty, but he escapes punishment with the help of the other agents and he and Scully become fugitives.[13]
Mythology[edit]
As the show progressed, key episodes, called parts of the "Mytharc", were recognized as the "mythology" of the series canon; these episodes carried the extraterrestrial/conspiracy storyline that evolved throughout the series. "Monster of the week"—often abbreviated as "MOTW" or "MoW"—came to denote the remainder of The X-Files episodes. These episodes, comprising the majority of the series, dealt with paranormal phenomena, including: cryptids, mutants, science fiction technology, horror monsters, and religious phenomena. Some of the Monster-of-the-Week episodes even featured satiric elements and comedic story lines.[14] The main story arc involves the agents' efforts to uncover a government conspiracy that covers up the existence of extraterrestrials and their sinister collaboration with said government. Mysterious men comprising a shadow element within the U.S. government, known as "The Syndicate", are the major villains in the series; late in the series it is revealed that The Syndicate acts as the only liaison between mankind and a group of extraterrestrials that intends to destroy the human species. They are usually represented by Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), a ruthless killer, masterful politician, negotiator, failed novelist, and the series' principal antagonist.[15]
As the series goes along, Mulder and Scully learn about evidence of the alien invasion piece by piece. It is revealed that the extraterrestrials plan on using a sentient virus, known as the black oil (also known as "Purity"), to infect mankind and turn the population of the world into a slave race. The Syndicate—having made a deal to be spared by the aliens—have been working to develop an alien-human hybrid that will be able to withstand the effects of the black oil. The group has also been secretly working on a vaccine to overcome the black oil; this vaccine is revealed in the latter parts of season five, as well as the film. Counter to the alien colonization effort, another faction of aliens, the faceless rebels, are working to stop alien colonization. Eventually, in the season six episodes "Two Fathers"/"One Son", the rebels manage to destroy the Syndicate. The colonists, now without human liaisons, dispatch the "Super Soldiers": beings that resemble humans, but are biologically alien. In the latter parts of season eight, and the whole of season nine, the Super Soldiers manage to replace key individuals in the government, forcing Mulder and Scully to go into hiding.[15]
Cast and characters[edit]
Main[edit]
- Fox Mulder (seasons 1–7, 10–11, main; season 8–9, intermittent lead[nb 1]) is portrayed by David Duchovny. Mulder is an Oxford-educated FBIspecial agent who believes in the existence of extraterrestrials and a government conspiracy to hide the truth regarding them. He works in the X-Files office, which is concerned with cases marked as unsolvable; most involve supernatural/mysterious circumstances. Mulder considers the X-Files so important that he has made their study his life's main purpose.[16] After his abduction by aliens at the end of season seven, his role in the show diminished and much of his work is taken on by Agent John Doggett.[17] He appeared in an episode of The Lone Gunmen and in both the film The X-Files and the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe.[18][19][20]
- Dana Scully (seasons 1–11, main) is portrayed by Gillian Anderson. Scully is an FBI special agent, a medical doctor, and scientist who is Mulder's partner. In contrast to his credulity, Scully is a skeptic, basing her beliefs on scientific explanations.[8] However, despite her otherwise rigid skepticism, she is a Catholic, and her faith plays an important role in several episodes.[21] As the series progresses, she becomes more open to the possibility of paranormal happenings.[22] In the latter part of the eighth season, her position in the X-Files office is taken by Agent Monica Reyes, and Scully moves to Quantico to teach new FBI agents.[23] She appeared in both The X-Files feature films.[19][20]
- John Doggett (seasons 8–9, main) is portrayed by Robert Patrick. Doggett is an FBI special agent who makes his first appearance in the season eight episode "Within". Doggett served in the United States Marine Corps from the s to the s. Later, he started to work with the New York City Police Department, reaching the rank of detective.[24] After his son's death, he joined the FBI's Criminal Investigations Division.[25] In , Alvin Kersh assigned him to the X-files unit as Scully's partner after an unsuccessful task force attempt to find Mulder.[24] He did not appear in The X-Files feature films.
- Monica Reyes (season 8, 10–11, recurring; season 9, main) is portrayed by Annabeth Gish. Reyes is an FBI special agent who was born and raised in Mexico City.[26] She majored in folklore and mythology at Brown University and earned a master's degree in religious studies. Her first FBI assignment was serving on a special task force investigating satanic rituals.[27] She is a longtime friend of Doggett's and becomes his partner after Scully's departure.[23][27] She did not appear in The X-Files feature films.
- Walter Skinner (seasons 1–8, recurring; season 9–11, intermittent lead[nb 2]) is portrayed by Mitch Pileggi. Skinner is an FBI assistant director who served in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War. During this time he shot and killed a young boy carrying explosives, an incident which scarred him for life.[28] Skinner is originally Mulder and Scully's direct supervisor.[29] He later serves the same position for Doggett and Reyes.[24] Although he is originally portrayed as somewhat antagonistic, he eventually becomes a close friend of Mulder and Scully.[24][30] He appeared in an episode of The Lone Gunmen and in both The X-Files feature films.[20][31]
Recurring[edit]
- Cigarette Smoking Man (seasons 1–7, 9–11) is portrayed by William B. Davis. The Cigarette Smoking Man is the series' primary villain. In the ninth-season episodes "William" and "The Truth", it is suggested that he is Mulder's biological father.[32][33] In the seventh-season episode "Requiem", he is believed to have been killed after being pushed down a flight of stairs by Alex Krycek until the ninth-season finale "The Truth", in which Mulder and Scully travel through remote New Mexico and reach a pueblo where a "wise man" reputedly lives, who is revealed to be Cigarette Smoking Man.[13][30] He also appears in the feature film.[34]
- Alex Krycek (seasons 2–9) is portrayed by Nicholas Lea. Krycek is a Russian-American, the son of Cold War immigrants, and first introduced as an FBI Special Agent assigned as a temporary investigation partner to Fox Mulder.[35][36] Krycek proceeds to work with Mulder and attempts to gain his trust. However, it later becomes evident that Krycek is actually an undercover agent working for Cigarette Smoking Man. Krycek plays an important part in several events that are harmful to Mulder and Scully.[36][37][38][39][40]
- Jeffrey Spender (seasons 5–6, 9, 11) is portrayed by Chris Owens. Spender was a skeptic who was assigned to The X-Files after Fox Mulder's forced leave.[41] Spender is the son of Cigarette Smoking Man and his ex-wife, multiple abductee Cassandra Spender,[42] as well as possibly being the half-brother of Mulder.[32][33] Initially thought to have been murdered by Cigarette Smoking Man, Spender returned, horribly disfigured, in the ninth season and helped Scully's son William.[32]
- Alvin Kersh (seasons 6, 8–9, 11) is portrayed by James Pickens Jr.. As an assistant director (and later deputy director), he temporarily became supervisor to Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when they were assigned away from the X-Files division.[41] During this time, Cigarette Smoking Man would often visit him in his office.[43] Kersh assigned Mulder and Scully mostly to menial tasks, such as terrorist details and Federal background checks.[44] Kersh was largely antagonistic to Mulder and Scully, but in "The Truth" somewhat redeemed himself by helping Mulder escape capital punishment.[33]
Production[edit]
Conception[edit]
—Chris Carter on creating the characters of Mulder and Scully.[45]
California native Chris Carter was given the opportunity to produce new shows for the Fox network in the early s. Tired of the comedies he had been working on for Walt Disney Pictures,[46] a report that &#;million Americans may have been abducted by aliens, the Watergate scandal and the s horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker, all combined to trigger the idea for The X-Files. He wrote the pilot episode in [47]
Carter's initial pitch for The X-Files was rejected by Fox executives. He fleshed out the concept and returned a few weeks later, when they commissioned the pilot. Carter worked with NYPD Blue producer Daniel Sackheim to further develop the pilot, drawing stylistic inspiration from the documentary The Thin Blue Line and the British television series Prime Suspect.[48] Inspiration also came from Carter's memories of The Twilight Zone as well as from The Silence of the Lambs, which provided the impetus for framing the series around agents from the FBI, in order to provide the characters with a more plausible reason for being involved in each case than Carter believed was present in Kolchak.[49] Carter was determined to keep the relationship between the two leads strictly platonic, basing their interactions on the characters of Emma Peel and John Steed in The Avengers series.[50][51]
The early s series Twin Peaks was a major influence on the show's dark atmosphere and its often surreal blend of drama and irony. Duchovny had appeared as a transgenderDEA agent in Twin Peaks and the Mulder character was seen as a parallel to that show's FBI Agent Dale Cooper.[52] The producers and writers cited All the President's Men, Three Days of the Condor, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rashomon, The Thing, The Boys from Brazil, The Silence of the Lambs and JFK as other influences.[53] Carter's use of continuous takes in "Triangle" was modeled on Hitchcock's Rope.[54] In addition, episodes written by Darin Morgan often referred to or referenced other films.[55]
Casting[edit]
Duchovny had worked in Los Angeles for three years prior to The X-Files; at first he wanted to focus on feature films. In , his manager, Melanie Green, gave him the script for the pilot episode of The X-Files. Green and Duchovny were both convinced it was a good script, so he auditioned for the lead.[57] Duchovny's audition was "terrific", though he talked rather slowly. While the casting director of the show was very positive toward him, Carter thought that he was not particularly intelligent. He asked Duchovny if he could "please" imagine himself as an FBI agent in "future" episodes. Duchovny, however, turned out to be one of the best-read people that Carter knew.[58]
Anderson auditioned for the role of Scully in "I couldn't put the script down", she recalled.[56] The network wanted either a more established or a "taller, leggier, blonder and breastier" actress for Scully than the year-old Anderson, a theater veteran with minor film experience. After auditions, Carter felt she was the only choice.[59][60][61] Carter insisted that Anderson had the kind of "no-nonsense integrity that the role required." For portraying Scully, Anderson won numerous major awards: the Screen Actors Guild Award in and , an Emmy Award in , and a Golden Globe Award [56]
The character Walter Skinner was played by actor Mitch Pileggi, who had unsuccessfully auditioned for the roles of two or three other characters on The X-Files before getting the part. At first, the fact that he was asked back to audition for the recurring role slightly puzzled him, until he discovered the reason he had not previously been cast in those roles—Carter had been unable to envision Pileggi as any of those characters, because the actor had been shaving his head. When Pileggi auditioned for Walter Skinner, he had been in a grumpy mood and had allowed his small amount of hair to grow. His attitude fit well with Skinner's character, causing Carter to assume that the actor was only pretending to be grumpy. Pileggi later realized he had been lucky that he had not been cast in one of the earlier roles, as he believed he would have appeared in only a single episode and would have missed the opportunity to play the recurring role.[62]
Before the seventh season aired, Duchovny filed a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox. He was upset because, he claimed, Fox had undersold the rights to its own affiliates, thereby costing him huge sums of money. Eventually, the lawsuit was settled, and Duchovny was awarded a settlement of about $20&#;million. The lawsuit put strain on Duchovny's professional relationships. Neither Carter nor Duchovny was contracted to work on the series beyond the seventh season; however, Fox entered into negotiations near the end of that season in order to bring the two on board for an eighth season.[63] After settling his contract dispute, Duchovny quit full-time participation in the show after the seventh season.[64] This contributed to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season.[65] Carter and most fans felt the show was at its natural endpoint with Duchovny's departure, but it was decided that Mulder would be abducted at the end of the seventh seasons and would return in 12 episodes the following year.[66] The producers then announced that a new character, John Doggett, would fill Mulder's role.[67]
More than actors auditioned for the role of Doggett, but only about ten were seriously considered. Lou Diamond Phillips, Hart Bochner, and Bruce Campbell were among the ten. The producers chose Robert Patrick.[11] Carter believed that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned in both seasons eight and nine to emphasize the new actors (along with Pileggi, who was finally listed as a main character).[12] Doggett's presence did not give the series the ratings boost the network executives were hoping for.[17] The eighth-season episode "This is Not Happening" marked the first appearance of Monica Reyes, played by Gish, who became a main character in season nine. Her character was developed and introduced due to Anderson's possible departure at the end of the eighth season. Although Anderson stayed until the end, Gish became a series regular.[68]
Minor recurring characters[edit]
Glen Morgan and James Wong's early influence on The X-Files mythology led to their introduction of popular secondary characters who continued for years in episodes written by others: Scully's father, William (Don S. Davis); her mother, Margaret (Sheila Larken); and her sister, Melissa (Melinda McGraw). The conspiracy-inspired trio The Lone Gunmen were also secondary characters.[69] The trio was introduced in the first-season episode "E.B.E." as a way to make Mulder appear more credible. They were originally meant to appear in only that episode, but due to their popularity, they returned in the second-season episode "Blood" and became recurring characters.[70] Cigarette Smoking Man portrayed by William B. Davis, was initially cast as an extra in the pilot episode. His character, however, grew into the main antagonist.[71]
Filming[edit]
During the early stages of production, Carter founded Ten Thirteen Productions and began to plan for filming the pilot in Los Angeles. However, unable to find suitable locations for many scenes, he decided to "go where the good forests are" and moved production to Vancouver.[72] It was soon realized by the production crew that since so much of the first season would require filming on location, rather than on sound stages, a second location manager would be needed.[73] The show remained in Vancouver for the first five seasons; production then shifted to Los Angeles beginning with the sixth season.[74] Duchovny was unhappy over his geographical separation from his wife Téa Leoni, although his discontent was popularly attributed to frustration with Vancouver's persistent rain.[75] Anderson also wanted to return to the United States and Carter relented following the fifth season. The season ended in May with "The End", the final episode shot in Vancouver and the final episode with the involvement of many of the original crew members, including director and producer R.W. Goodwin and his wife Sheila Larken, who played Margaret Scully and would later return briefly.[54][76]
With the move to Los Angeles, many changes behind the scenes occurred, as much of the original The X-Files crew was gone. New production designer Corey Kaplan, editor Lynne Willingham, writer David Amann and director and producer Michael Watkins joined and stayed for several years. Bill Roe became the show's new director of photography and episodes generally had a drier, brighter look due to California's sunshine and climate, as compared with Vancouver's rain, fog and temperate forests. Early in the sixth season, the producers took advantage of the new location, setting the show in new parts of the country.[77] For example, Vince Gilligan's "Drive", about a man subject to an unexplained illness, was a frenetic action episode, unusual for The X-Files largely because it was set in Nevada's stark desert roads.[54] The "Dreamland" two-part episode was also set in Nevada, this time in Area The episode was largely filmed at "Club Ed", a movie ranch located on the outskirts of Lancaster, California.[54][78][79]
Although the sixth through ninth seasons were filmed in Los Angeles, the series' second movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (), was filmed in Vancouver,[80] According to Spotnitz, the film script was written for the city and surrounding areas.[80] The revival was also shot there.[81][82]
Music[edit]
The music was composed by Mark Snow, who got involved with The X-Files through his friendship with executive producer Goodwin. Initially Carter had no candidates. A little over a dozen people were considered, but Goodwin continued to press for Snow, who auditioned around three times with no sign from the production staff as to whether they wanted him. One day, however, Snow's agent called him, talking about the "pilot episode" and hinting that he had got the job.[83]
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The theme, "The X-Files", used more instrumental sections than most dramas.[84] The theme song's famous whistle effect was inspired by the track "How Soon Is Now?" from the US edition of The Smiths' album Meat Is Murder. After attempting to craft the theme with different sound effects, Snow used a Proteus 2 rackmount sound module with a preset sound called "Whistling Joe". After hearing this sound, Carter was "taken aback" and noted it was "going to be good".[85] According to the "Behind the Truth" segment on the first season DVD, Snow created the echo effect on the track by accident. He felt that after several revisions, something still was not right. Carter walked out of the room and Snow put his hand and forearm on his keyboard in frustration. By doing so, he accidentally activated an echo effect setting. The resulting riff pleased Carter; Snow said, "this sound was in the keyboard. And that was it."[84] The second episode, "Deep Throat", marked Snow's debut as solo composer for an entire episode. The production crew was determined to limit the music in the early episodes.[86] Likewise, the theme song itself first appeared in "Deep Throat".[85]
Snow was tasked with composing the score for both The X-Files films. The films marked the first appearance of real orchestral instruments; previous music had been crafted by Snow using digitally sampled instrument sounds.[85][87] Snow's soundtrack for the first film, The X-Files: Original Motion Picture Score, was released in [88] For the second film, Snow recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony in May at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox in Century City.[89]UNKLE recorded a new version of the theme music for the end credits.[90] Some of the unusual sounds were created by a variation of silly putty and dimes tucked into piano strings. Snow commented that the fast percussion featured in some tracks was inspired by the track "Prospectors Quartet" from the There Will Be Blood soundtrack.[91] The soundtrack score, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, was released in [92]
Opening sequence[edit]
The opening sequence was made in for the first season and remained unchanged until Duchovny left the show.[12][84] Carter sought to make the title an "impactful opening" with "supernatural images".[93] These scenes notably include a split-screen image of a seed germinating as well as a "terror-filled, warped face".[93] The latter was created when Carter found a video operator who was able to create the effect. The sequence was extremely popular and won the show its first Emmy Award, which was for Outstanding Graphic Design and Title Sequences. Producer Paul Rabwin was particularly pleased with the sequence and felt that it was something that had "never [been] seen on television before".[84] In , James Charisma of Paste ranked the show's opening sequence #8 on a list of The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time.[94]
The premiere episode of season eight, "Within", revealed the first major change to the opening credits. Along with Patrick, the sequence used new images and updated photos for Duchovny and Anderson, although Duchovny only appears in the opening credits when he appears in an episode. Carter and the production staff saw Duchovny's departure as a chance to change things. The replacement shows various pictures of Scully's pregnancy. According to executive producer Frank Spotnitz, the sequence also features an "abstract" way of showing Mulder's absence in the eighth season: he falls into an eye.[12] Season nine featured an entirely new sequence. Since Anderson wanted to move on, the sequence featured Reyes and Skinner. Duchovny's return to the show for the ninth-season finale, "The Truth" marked the largest number of cast members to be featured in the opening credits, with five.[95] The revival seasons use the series' original opening credits sequence.[96]
The sequence ends with the tagline "The Truth Is Out There", which is used for the majority of the episodes.[93] The tagline changes in specific episodes to slogans that are relevant to that episode.
The following episodes received alternate taglines:
-