The X-Files

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Promotional photo from The X-Files: Fight the Future.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

The Syndicate, or Consortium, "represents certain global interests," according to member the Well-Manicured Man. After impeding Mulder and Scully in the movie and successfully making an alien-human hybrid, Cassandra Spender, the group was destroyed in season six.

Season 6 (1998-1999)

Over the course of the previous two years, the show had built upon the mythology storylines that grew in complexity and prominence (and confusion, especially for new viewers[2]) as the show progressed. The loyalties of the Cigarette Smoking Man and Krycek were continually shifting and the influence of CSM appeared to be waning. Above all, the Syndicate's co-operation with the colonizers was proven to be a ploy, as they were secretly attempting to develop a vaccine to the black oil (also known as "purity") which was shown to be an agent which would allow for the transportation of alien beings, and which would be spread through bees come the time for colonization. However, another alien faction was proven to exist, and these rebels opposed the colonists and the Syndicate for their co-operation. Consequently, in mid-season 6 "full disclosure" episodes "Two Fathers" and "One Son", the rebels destroyed the Syndicate.

At the end of The X-Files movie, the X-Files had again been re-opened, however, Agents Spender and Fowley were assigned to them rather than Mulder and Scully, who were reassigned from Walter Skinner—who continued to appear on the show, nevertheless—to a new boss, Assistant Director Alvin Kersh (played by James Pickens, Jr.). Gibson Praise was dispatched in the first episode of season 6, "The Beginning" (which also posited a possible alien source for humanity), and Jeffrey Spender was also written out of the show during season 6, while Mimi Rogers' Diana Fowley continued to play a role and appeared quite close to the Cigarette Smoking Man. The latter character was finally given a name, CGB Spender, and an identity—father of Jeffrey and ex-husband of Cassandra.

With the move to L.A. in season 6, many changes behind the scenes occurred, as much of the original X-Files crew was gone. New production designer Corey Kaplan, editor Lynne Willingham, writer David Amann, and director and producer Michael Watkins would stay on for several years. Bill Roe became the show's new director of photography, and episodes generally had a drier, brighter look due to the sunshine and climate of California, as compared with the rain, fog and temperate forests of Vancouver, Canada. Early in the sixth season, the producers took advantage of the new location, setting the show in parts of the country they had not been able to write episodes in previously.[84] For example, Vince Gilligan's "Drive" (about a man subject to an unexplained illness) was a frenetic action episode, unusual for The X-Files,[85] not least due to its setting on roads in the stark desert of Nevada. The "Dreamland" two-parter was also set in Nevada, this time in the legendary Area 51. It marked another comedy outing for the show, in a season increasingly light in tone, with guest star Michael McKean playing man in black Morris Fletcher, who switches bodies with Fox Mulder during the course of the episodes. It is the only non-mythology two part episode of The X-Files.

The sixth season also explored the ever-deepening bond between Mulder and Scully. The episode "Triangle" was Chris Carter's fifth try at directing as well as writing The X-Files. With its ambitious mise-en-scene featuring continuous takes and split screens, and its setting on an ocean liner on the eve of World War II (played by the HMS Queen Mary anchored in Long Beach, California), it was widely seen as a bid for an Emmy Award, which Carter did not receive, though the episode was up for sound editing. "Triangle" concerned Mulder's trip to the Bermuda Triangle to investigate an X-File there, disobeying superiors such as Kersh, in parallel with Scully and The Lone Gunmen's dogged efforts to locate him, contrasting this with time warp versions of all the main characters in September 1939, and ending with a pivotal "shipper" moment while leaving both the preceding events and the agents' relationship ambiguous.[86] Whether they "should" or "should not" consummate their "platonic" love was a matter of immense debate among the fan community for years, and is still subject to scrutiny, since even after abundant hints Carter refuses to substantiate whether the two characters ever had sex.[3] Other episodes that season, such as "The Rain King", "Monday", "Field Trip", and Carter's "Milagro" and "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" (guest starring Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin), also dealt primarily with romantic relationships and alternate realities, using these to comment on Mulder and Scully's status.[87]

Late in the season, David Duchovny—who had a master's degree in English and considered a career as a writer before joining the cast[68]—contributed his first solo X-Files script, "The Unnatural", which he also directed. It was about Josh "Ex" Exley, a baseball-loving alien who played in the Negro Leagues after the fabled Roswell crash in 1947. A baseball announcer in "The Unnatural" was voiced by famous L.A. Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, Chris Carter's original inspiration for the name of Dana Scully.[88] The episode was also originally set to feature the involvement of Darren McGavin, star of early X-Files inspiration Kolchak: The Night Stalker. McGavin had to pull out due to illness,[68] but he does appear as original X-File investigator Agent Arthur Dales in season five's "Travelers" and season six's "Agua Mala" (about Mulder and Scully's discovery of a dangerous water-based life form during a hurricane in Florida).

Some longtime fans were alienated by the show in season 6, due to the different tone taken by most stand-alone episodes after the move to L.A.[89][90] Rather than adhering to the previous style of "monsters of the week", they were often romantic or gently humorous or both, such as "Arcadia", where Mulder and Scully pose as a married couple in a gated community in order to solve a case, or the darker, campy "Terms of Endearment", starring Bruce Campbell as a demon. Meanwhile, some felt there was no coherent plan to the mytharc, that Carter was "making it all up as he goes along".[89] The show ended season 6 with solid ratings, but its lowest average since season two, beginning a decline that would continue for the final three years of its run.[4] This may have been due to different competition on Sunday nights, or because viewers felt the show was burning out or even "jumping the shark"[91] (the show would actually reference the concept in its episode "Jump the Shark" three years later). The show's producers acknowledged they had been trying to do something different from previous years in season six. The X-Files was nevertheless FOX's highest rated show that year,[92] and was nominated for eight Emmys in 1999, winning one for makeup. It was also nominated for SAG Awards for Anderson, Duchovny and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast, recognizing Pileggi, Pickens, Owens and Davis' continuing contributions.

As compared with other seasons, relatively few mythology episodes were made during season 6, only "The Beginning", the stand-alone "S.R. 819" (in which Walter Skinner's health is compromised by a mysterious nanotechnology affliction as possible blackmail to force him to turn against Mulder and Scully), "Two Fathers" and "One Son", and the season finale "Biogenesis", the first of a three-part story continued into season 7, about Scully's investigation of an ancient UFO discovered off the coast of West Africa and effects on Mulder from it.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Diana Fowley, portrayed by Mimi Rogers, appeared in seasons 5 through 7. Her relationship with Mulder was in question.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

For season seven's "Orison", Nick Chinlund reprised his role of Donnie Pfaster, the "escalating death fetishist" first seen in "Irresistible".

Seasons 7 – 9 (1999-2002)

In November 1999, "The Sixth Extinction" and its second part "Amor Fati" continued the story arc begun in the previous year. New sixth season director Michael Watkins oversaw the latter episode, which was a writing collaboration between Chris Carter and David Duchovny, harkening back to the themes and characters of previous X-Files history—"Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paper Clip" and Carter's "Redux" trilogy—as well as to The Last Temptation of Christ.[93] However, it was the lowest rated season premiere since 1994's "Little Green Men".[4] Subsequent offerings like "Millennium" (a crossover with Carter's recently canceled other series), and Vince Gilligan's "Hungry" (a sardonic "monster of the week" in which Mulder and Scully barely appeared) and "X-Cops" (an experimental merging with FOX's reality show COPS), did not substantially improve viewership.[4] "Millennium", however, as well as featuring Lance Henriksen reprising his role of Frank Black for the final time, also made waves for showing the first consensual mouth-to-mouth kiss of Mulder and Scully.[94] The occasion was New Year's 2000.

Nick Chinlund also reprised his role of Donnie Pfaster in "Orison", a sequel to season two's "Irresistible", while Ricky Jay played a magician in "The Amazing Maleeni", which contrasted with the generally more emotional tone of season seven. Novelists Tom Maddox and William Gibson returned with a second episode, "First Person Shooter", this time directed by Chris Carter. There were reports of friction between cast and crew, however. David Duchovny, who had filed a lawsuit with FOX that also alleged Carter was paid "hush money" to approve an unfair syndication contract, was reputed to be bored with The X-Files a year after relocating. The show's production costs since the move from Vancouver—typically over $3 million per episode—were also a matter of concern to the network, as it both financed and distributed the show and could not pass off costs to itself without hurting the corporate bottom line.[92]

Breaking the formula of standard stand-alone episodes were several efforts written and directed by the show's stars. Gillian Anderson directed her own script for the metaphysical "All Things", further exploring Scully's character. It was the first X-Files to be directed by a woman,[50] though the show had had several female writers for periods during seasons 2, 3 and 4 (Carter himself was subject to a harassment lawsuit over the supposed atmosphere that existed among the writing staff years earlier,[35] which was dismissed). Duchovny followed up his prior episode "The Unnatural" with the over-the-top satire, "Hollywood A.D." The title referenced both the Church scandal uncovered therein, and the prospect of Mitch Pileggi's Assistant Director Skinner as a Hollywood player; the self-reflexive episode concerned Skinner's effort to get a blockbuster movie made about Mulder and Scully's X-Files investigations, but the "stars" playing the agents are actress Téa Leoni, Duchovny's real life wife as Scully, and comedian Garry Shandling as Mulder. Finally, William Davis, known for his ongoing role as the Cigarette Smoking Man, wrote an episode examining his character, called "En Ami". It was one of Davis' final appearances in the show.

"En Ami" was also director Rob Bowman's final episode for the show. Before the seventh season finale, longtime writer Vince Gilligan also got the chance to direct his first episode, "Je Souhaite" (about a reluctant genie), and Chris Carter turned in the dark slapstick "Fight Club", a return to Carter's roots in comedy. The episode, guest starring Kathy Griffin, did not go over well,[95] particularly so close to what fans expected would be final revelations to the mythology; it holds the record for all time lowest voted episode of the whole series in a survey of viewers.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

John Doggett,  Monica Reyes

The final three seasons were a time of closure for The X-Files. Characters within the show were written out, including the Cigarette Smoking Man and Mulder's mother, and several plot threads were resolved, including the fate of Fox Mulder's sister Samantha, who had been a long running plot device within the show, in the episodes "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure". After settling his contract dispute, David Duchovny quit full-time participation in the show after the seventh season.[97] This contributed to uncertainties over the likelihood of an eighth season.[96] Carter and most fans felt the show was at its natural endpoint with Duchovny's departure, but it was decided Mulder would be abducted at the end of the seventh season, leaving things open for the actor's return in 11 episodes the following year.[98] Season finale "Requiem" was written by Chris Carter as a possible series finale, but the show was again renewed by FOX, despite lower ratings.

For the next two years, Carter was offered incentives to continue the show, which he did despite reservations, concluding there were "more stories to tell."[34] Executive producer and screenwriter Frank Spotnitz was largely responsible, with Carter, for running the show in its final two years, introducing new central characters. With Duchovny's involvement reduced (and in anticipation of Anderson's possible absence in the future), the show's eighth season introduced two new X-Files agents, John Doggett and Monica Reyes (played by Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish, respectively). Doggett was initially the primary character with Anderson, playing off her in a now-reversed dynamic from The X-Files' earliest seasons, with Scully the "believer" and Doggett the "skeptic", once again investigating paranormal monsters of the week. Carter, Spotnitz, John Shiban and Vince Gilligan continued to serve as writers, with Kim Manners frequently directing, but otherwise the behind the scenes staff experienced turnover.

It was Chris Carter's belief that the series could continue for another ten years with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned for the first time in season 9 to emphasize the new actors (along with Pileggi, who was finally listed). This was not to be the case, however, as over the course of the final two seasons, Doggett and Reyes did not provide the ratings boost the producers had hoped for. Following the launch and U.S. commercial failure of spinoff show The Lone Gunmen, whose March 2001 debut episode had dealt humorously with an airplane being hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center, writers were also finding it hard to deal with stock X-Files themes in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[2]

The show received meager Emmy attention in its final years, nevertheless picking up a nomination for Bill Roe's cinematography in "This is Not Happening", and a win for makeup in the stand-alone "Deadalive". Robert Patrick won a Saturn Award for Best Actor, however, and the mythology continued to develop, with a new "super soldiers" concept, and the informer Knowle Rohrer, who interacted with Doggett. Cary Elwes also played a new character. Jeff Gulka's Gibson Praise and Chris Owens' Jeffrey Spender eventually made a return, as well as Scully's mother Margaret, played by Sheila Larken (who had not appeared since the show moved from Vancouver in season 5). The show also alluded to religious allegory in a story line about Scully's pregnancy.[2] It was a seeming reversal of earlier seasons' mythology, in which experiments that had given the character her cancer had also left Scully infertile.

Duchovny returned over the eighth season for several dramatic episodes, and flashbacks were seen in the ninth. Duchovny also directed an episode. Anderson was nominated for her final Screen Actors Guild award as Dana Scully in 2001. The Mulder/Scully relationship by this point reflected what some "shippers" had imagined for years, although others were dissatisfied or offended by the characterizations.[99] In the end, the apparent result of the partnership was Baby William, while the crew also offered a tribute to an Internet fan fiction writer who had died from cancer in 2001, creating the character of young FBI Agent Leyla Harrison (a self-professed admirer of Mulder and Scully) to honor her memory in the season 8 episode "Alone" and Season 9 episode "Scary Monsters."

The X-Files completed its ninth and final season with the two-hour episode "The Truth", which reunited David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and much of the original cast. It first aired on May 19, 2002, finishing third in its timeslot in the Nielsen ratings, with a slightly lower audience share than the original X-Files pilot episode.[4] The show ceased production at the end of the ninth season—on a cliffhanger, though Carter knew that this would be the final episode. Carter's Ten Thirteen Productions also went into hibernation, and actors, writers, producers and technical staff all moved on to other projects. The show's final Emmy nomination in 2002 went to composer Mark Snow.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

In May 2000, "Requiem" returned Scully and Mulder to the setting of the "Pilot" (pictured) of seven years earlier. When it completed shooting, the producers were unsure if they would come back for an eighth year.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Future of The X-Files

Plans for another movie are announced periodically but have yet to come to fruition. Chris Carter, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have expressed their desire for involvement, Frank Spotnitz was apparently commissioned to write a script in 2006, and the 1998 film's director Rob Bowman has also commented on a second film's status.[100] However, there is still no script and no official shooting schedule, and it is unconfirmed which cast and crew members would reprise their roles if another X-Files film were to be made. David Duchovny first mentioned his interest in the project in 2004, and in January of 2005, he confirmed that a sequel was in the works and that it would be a "stand-alone horror film." Bowman and Spotnitz also said a second film would most likely be a stand-alone story, rather than focus on the alien conspiracy storylines.

One issue seen to be holding up production was a lawsuit filed in late 2005 by Chris Carter against 20th Century Fox Television over syndication profits of the show,[101] which has only recently been resolved.[102] Carter co-wrote and produced the 1998 X-Files film. In a 2006 posting on her website, Gillian Anderson stated that she was very much willing to take part in the project: "And as far as the X-F movie? I have no f****** clue. I think there's still a law suit, as far as I know the script has not been written, and as much as we all want it to take place as soon as possible, AND YES THAT INCLUDES ME, AND ALWAYS HAS, SO STOP WITH THE NONSENSE! It is out of my hands. Completely. Write to Fox guys, tell them to make it happen!"[103]

Frank Spotnitz, in an April 17 update to his blog, said, "Several people have e-mailed to ask about reports that the second X-Files feature is finally in the works. A script is indeed in development, but I'm afraid that's all I can say."[104]

In an April 24th article, a Fox spokesperson commented on the prospect of a sequel, saying, "it's not anywhere near that level yet," when asked if Anderson and Duchovny had been formally contracted to appear in a new X-Files movie.[105]

In a June 14th article, Chris Carter reportedly told TV Guide that he had signed up David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson for a second X-Files movie.[106]

On July 14th, at the Television Critics Association press tour, David Duchovny was in attendance to promote his new Showtime series, Californication, and was asked about the status of the next X-Files movie. He responded that it was indeed moving forward and that he and Gillian Anderson were on board. When talking to a smaller gathering of journalists after the main press event, he said he thought the movie could be in theaters by Summer 2008. This was met with some skepticism due to Duchovny's similar past claims, which never came to fruition. He responded, "Before I would just say that [there was a movie] because they told me, but now, after talking to Chris [Carter] -- he's been giving me progress reports -- and he actually called yesterday, and said 'Next week, you should have something to read.'" Duchovny went on to confirm his belief that the new movie would be a standalone "Monster of the Week" story, rather than an installment in the alien conspiracy mythology.[107] [108]

In a July 17th blog update, Gillian Anderson confirmed that she will be filming the next X-Files movie, beginning sometime between October and January.

The two major Hollywood trade publications, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, have reported Duchovny's July 14th comments, but have yet to confirm an official green light for the project, or any other comments on behalf of 20th Century Fox.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Scene from "Pusher," an episode from 1996 in which a violent standoff draws Mulder and Scully closer together. Fans discussing it on the Internet may have popularized the term "shipper."

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Mulder's paranoia reflected the American public's suspicion of the government, characteristic of the 1990s

Legacy

Television

The X-Files directly inspired numerous other TV series, including Strange World,[113][114] Burning Zone,[115] Special Unit 2, Mysterious Ways,[116] Lost, Carnivàle, Dark Skies,[114] The Visitor,[114] Freaky Links, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, and Supernatural. A few of these shows actually involved former staff of The X-Files behind the scenes—such as Lost, whose current cinematographer is John Bartley; the mytharc-dominated 24, executive produced by X-Files writer Howard Gordon; Six Feet Under, coproduced by X-Files alum Lori Jo Nemhauser; and Supernatural, involving directors David Nutter and Kim Manners, and writer/producer John Shiban.

The influence can be seen on other levels: television series such as Alias have developed a complex mythology that may bring to mind the "mytharc" of The X-Files. In terms of characterization, the role of Dana Scully was seen as somewhat original, causing a change in "how women [on television] were not just perceived but behaved", and perhaps influencing the portrayal of "strong women" investigators[18]. Many procedural dramas also feature a Mulder-esque lead with a supervisor similar to Skinner or Kersh. Some of these procedurals, such as NCIS, feature a quirky technogeek similar to the Lone Gunmen characters.

Russell T. Davies said The X-Files had been an inspiration on his current British series Torchwood,[117] describing it as "dark, wild and sexy... The X Files meets This Life."[118] Other shows have been influenced by the tone and mood of The X-Files, e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which drew from the mood and coloring of The X-Files, as well as from its occasional blend of horror and humor. Joss Whedon described his show as a cross between The X-Files and My So-Called Life.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Influences on the show

Television

Chris Carter listed television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside and especially Kolchak: The Night Stalker as his major influences for the show. Carter said, "Remembering that show, which I loved, I said to the Fox executives, 'There's nothing scary on network television anymore. Let's do a scary show.'"[32] Actor Darren McGavin who played Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker appeared in two episodes of The X-Files as Agent Arthur Dales, a character described as the "father of the X-Files."

Carter has mentioned that the relationship between Mulder and Scully (platonic but with sexual tension) was influenced by the chemistry between John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) in the 1960s British spy TV program The Avengers.[37] One journalist documented possible influence from Nigel Kneale's Quatermass series and its various television and film iterations.[140] Kneale was invited to write for The X-Files, but declined the offer.[141]

The early '90s cult hit Twin Peaks is seen as a major influence on the show's dark atmosphere and its often surreal blend of drama and irony. David Duchovny had appeared as a cross-dressing DEA agent in Twin Peaks, and the character of Mulder was seen as a parallel to the show's FBI Agent Dale Cooper.[2] Both shows were filmed in the Pacific Northwest.

Film

The producers and writers have 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,[15] and JFK as influences on the series. Gangster movies such as the Godfather trilogy are also frequently referenced in the show's conspiracy plotlines, particularly concerning the Syndicate. A scene at the end of the episode "Redux II" (5.02), for instance, directly mirrors the famous baptism montage at the end of The Godfather. Chris Carter's use of continuous takes in "Triangle" (6.03) was modeled on Hitchcock's Rope. Other episodes written by Carter made numerous references to other films, as did those by Darin Morgan.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

Awards

Over the course of its nine seasons, the show was nominated for 141 awards, winning a total of 61 individual awards from 24 different agencies, including the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Environmental Media Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.[52] The X-Files also won a Peabody Award in 1996, during its third season.

The show earned a total of 16 Emmys; two for acting, one for writing, and 13 for various technical categories. In September 1994, The X-Files won its first award, the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences.

Peter Boyle later won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of the title character in the third-season episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose". In the same year, Darin Morgan won the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series for the same episode. "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" was one of four highly-acclaimed episodes Morgan wrote during his short time on the show's writing staff. In 1997, both Duchovny and Anderson won Golden Globe awards for the best male and female actors in a drama series.

Throughout its run, The X-Files also won Emmy awards in seven technical categories: Graphic Design and Title Sequences, Cinematography, Sound Editing and Mixing, Art Direction, Single Camera Picture Editing, Makeup, and Special Visual Effects.

[Jennifer O'Dell]

The Truth Is Out There

[Jennie McGrath]

Nice work!!!

[Jami Ferrina]

[Equantez]