Beyond the Sea (The X-Files)

Last updated

"Beyond the Sea"
The X-Files episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 13
Directed by David Nutter
Written by Glen Morgan
James Wong
Production code1X12
Original air dateJanuary 7, 1994 (1994-01-07)
Running time45 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Fire"		Next →
"Gender Bender"
The X-Files season 1
List of episodes

"Beyond the Sea" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files , premiering on the Fox network on January 7, 1994. It was written by co-executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by David Nutter. The episode is a "Monster of Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology, although it deepens the characterization of Scully through the introduction of her parents. Despite a mediocre Nielsen rating compared to other episodes of the first season, "Beyond the Sea" received a largely positive reception amongst critics.

Contents

The show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. The plot of the episode sees Scully's father die and her skepticism put to the test by Luther Lee Boggs, a prisoner on death row who claims to have psychic powers.

The episode showed the protagonists reversing their usual roles of "believer" and "skeptic" for the first time and introduced the theme of father figures that would continue throughout the series. Critical commentary has noted parallels between the character of Dana Scully and that of Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Plot

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) entertains her parents, William (Don Davis) and Margaret (Sheila Larken), shortly after Christmas. After they leave, she falls asleep on her sofa. Several hours later, she wakes up to see her father sitting across from her, speaking silently. The telephone rings, and she takes the call—from her mother, who tells her that her father died of a heart attack an hour earlier. Confused, she looks again at the chair and sees that it is empty.

In North Carolina, a young couple are kidnapped by a man impersonating a police officer. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) tells Scully that Luther Lee Boggs (Brad Dourif), a serial killer he helped catch years before, has claimed to have had psychic revelations about the kidnapping and has offered to help police in exchange for his death sentence being commuted. Mulder is unusually skeptical about Boggs' claims.

Visiting Boggs in prison, the agents give him a piece of "evidence" from which he has a vision, only to be told it is really a piece of Mulder's T-shirt. Satisfied that he is lying, the pair prepare to leave. However, Scully looks back at Boggs and sees another vision of her father, speaking to her and singing the song that had been played at his funeral: "Beyond the Sea". Scully does not tell Mulder about this, and the pair discuss the possibility that Boggs has orchestrated the kidnapping with a partner to avoid execution.

Mulder and Scully have a fake newspaper produced which declares the couple have been found, hoping to trick Boggs into contacting his accomplice. He does not fall for the trick but gives the agents vague clues about the case. Scully, acting on these, first finds a warehouse where the couple had been held, and later leads Mulder and several other agents to a boathouse where the kidnapper is holding the couple. The girl is rescued, but the kidnapper shoots Mulder and escapes with the boyfriend. Following this, Mulder and the girl are sent to the hospital.

Boggs is then visited by Scully, to whom he gives information about the kidnapper's new location, warning her to avoid "the blue devil". Scully then leads several agents to the location Boggs gave her—a brewery—where they rescue the kidnapped boyfriend. Scully chases the kidnapper as he flees but stops in her tracks when he runs along a gantry beneath the brewery's logo—a leering blue devil. The gantry gives way, and the kidnapper falls to his death.

Scully speaks to Boggs again, suggesting that if he had orchestrated the kidnapping, the kidnapper would have been aware of the danger he warned her about. Boggs claims to be able to contact her father and offers to relay one last message from him if she will attend his execution. As he is about to be executed, Boggs sees that Scully has not attended.

Scully visits Mulder in the hospital, explaining that she changed her mind and now believes Mulder's theory that Boggs arranged everything. She cites as evidence that if Boggs knew she was Mulder's partner, Boggs could have looked up the information about her father's death and used that information to manipulate her. Mulder asks her why she was afraid of believing, even if it meant losing the chance to hear from her father again through Boggs. She tells him that she did not need to hear anything, because she already knew what her father would have said. [1]

Production

Don Davis played Captain William Scully. Don S. Davis DF-SD-03-14217.jpg
Don Davis played Captain William Scully.

"Beyond the Sea" was written by co-executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong; it was their fourth script for the series. The episode was directed by David Nutter. [1] As Morgan and Wong explained, their episode was written in response to criticisms of the show's initially limited characterization of Scully. Wong said, "Gillian Anderson needed to show off her talents more, and this was a perfect opportunity to dispel those notions that Scully will never believe. It was time for the character to grow, because she was just doing the same kind of thing too often." Executives at the Fox network vetoed the idea two times before Carter told them, "We're doing it." [2]

Don Davis was cast as Scully's father, making him one of several X-Files guest stars to have previously appeared on the ABC mystery serial drama television series Twin Peaks . [3] [4] Davis would go onto reprise his role as William in the second-season episode "One Breath". [5] Sheila Larken, who played Scully's mother, is the wife of the show's co-executive producer R.W. Goodwin. [1] Larken returned for a further fifteen episodes in the role. Morgan and Wong fought hard to have veteran film actor Brad Dourif play the role of Luther Lee Boggs against concerns about the cost of hiring him. X-Files creator Chris Carter called the president of Twentieth Century Fox, Peter Roth, during Thanksgiving dinner and convinced him to let them cast Dourif for the part. [6] Dourif was asked to appear in the episode with only four days of preparation. He originally refused the part until the producers gave him an extra week to prepare. [7] While getting into character between takes, his deep breathing exercises turned his face bright purple. [7]

This episode is a favorite of both creator Carter, who calls it his favorite episode of the first season [6] and actress Gillian Anderson. [1] Co-writer Morgan also praises it as a script he is proud of. [6] Director Nutter says of the episode, "I think it's the most accomplished piece of directing of actors I've been able to do ... I think this episode really made a difference in how the audience looks at Scully. I think it brought a lot of dimension to her character and for her person it definitely had a lot of impact." [6]

Cultural references and continuity

The episode title, "Beyond the Sea", references Bobby Darin's song of the same name from 1959, which is played at the funeral for Scully's father. [8] The appearance of Boggs greatly resembles Richard Ramírez. The names "Luther Lee Boggs" and "Lucas Henry" were inspired by real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. [8] The Luther Lee Boggs character is mentioned by Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet's character) in The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). [9] In one scene from this episode, Max Fenig's National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) hat from the episode "Fallen Angel" can be seen hanging in Mulder's office. [10]

Scully and her father's nicknames for each other—Ahab and Starbuck—are taken from Herman Melville's 1851 nautical novel Moby-Dick . [11] Further references to the novel appear later in the series in the second season episode "One Breath" and the third season episode "Quagmire". [12]

Themes and analysis

In the episodes prior to "Beyond the Sea", the protagonists of The X-Files are firmly established in the roles of believer (Mulder) and rational scientist/skeptic (Scully). "Beyond the Sea" is the first episode in which these roles are reversed. [13] Scully, vulnerable after the death of her father, is persuaded by Boggs' apparent psychic ability. [14] Meanwhile, Mulder refuses to believe the serial killer, discounts any evidence in Boggs' favor and will only consider rational explanations. According to Jan Delsara, Scully is inclined to believe Boggs because she identifies with him: they both understand the pressure of high family expectations. Scully strongly desired to make her father proud, despite not fulfilling his expectation that she became a doctor, and Boggs, in killing his family, had hoped to kill their expectations and judgment of him. [15] In contrast, Mulder's relationship with his parents, based on resentment of them for their failure to protect his sister (themes developed later in the series), makes him unwilling to identify with Boggs. [15] While Scully follows her instinct and solves the case, Mulder gets shot and ends up in the hospital because of his doubts and skepticism. [16] According to Joe Bellon, as the episode progresses, even Scully's personality becomes like Mulder's and "for all narrative purposes, she becomes Mulder for almost an entire episode." [17] According to Dean A. Kowalski, this role reversal of the partners represents a "blending" of Mulder and Scully's characters that is present throughout the series. [18]

Scully's co-option of Mulder's usual role also demonstrates the complexity of her character. Although she is strongly influenced by her scientific background, she has religious faith too. [19] Paul C. Peterson notes that although this episode is not directly about religion, it shows the first of several visions Scully experiences throughout the series; later visions appear in episodes more directly related to religion and Scully's faith, such as "One Breath", "Elegy" and "All Souls". [18] [19] In this episode, her faith in her father ultimately proves stronger than her belief in the paranormal as she refuses to be tempted by Boggs. Rather than take him up on his offer to help her contact her father, Scully visits her partner in the hospital. [11]

"Beyond the Sea" is the first episode to explore a central theme of Scully's character development—her attraction to, and conflict with, authoritative men. [20] Throughout her career with the FBI she experiences conflict with patriarchal figures. [21] In the fourth season episode "Never Again", she expresses a long-held fascination with father figures. This theme is introduced with her guilt and need for approval following her father's death in "Beyond the Sea", and continues in later episodes including "Irresistible", "Small Potatoes", "Bad Blood", and "Milagro". [20]

The theme of father figures is one that is explored throughout The X-Files, in relation to both Mulder and Scully. [11] As well as their own fathers, a number of characters play a paternal role to the agents in later episodes, including Deep Throat, the Smoking Man and Senator Matheson. [22] Both of the protagonists have deep-rooted family issues and this episode is the beginning of the exploration of that story arc. [15] A motif often employed in the show is that of mirroring, doubling or cloning. [22] Scully's relationship with her father, first dealt with in "Beyond the Sea", is mirrored by that of Mulder's with his father—also named William—who dies at the end of the second season. [11] [22]

Comparisons have been drawn between the character of Dana Scully and that of FBI student Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). [23] Rhonda Wilcox and J. P. Williams note the similarities in their appearances, as well as their positions in a patriarchal working environment. [24] In "Beyond the Sea" in particular, parallels can be seen. Like Starling, Scully has an emotional connection with—and a need to prove herself to—her dead father. [24] After William Scully's death, his daughter becomes particularly concerned with whether or not he was proud of her. Although by the end of the episode, Scully seems to have come to terms with her father's opinion of her, her worries resurface later in the series when she fears that he would have been ashamed of her actions ("Anasazi"). The connection to Clarice Starling is further shown by Scully's encounter with Luther Lee Boggs, an apparently helpful serial killer, which echoes Starling's relationship with serial killer Hannibal Lecter. [23]

Broadcast and reception

"Beyond the Sea" was first broadcast in the United States on January 7, 1994, on the Fox network. [25] In its original broadcast it was watched by 6.2 million households and 10.8 million viewers, according to the Nielsen ratings system. [25] [26] It received a 6.6 rating/11 share among viewers meaning that 6.6 percent of all households in the U.S., and 11 percent of all people watching television at the time, viewed the episode. [25]

Author Phil Farrand rated the episode as the sixth-best episode of the first four seasons in his book The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes. [27] A writer from the Vancouver Sun listed "Beyond the Sea" as one of the best standalone episodes of the show, saying that Brad Dourif's acting was "remarkably chilling". They noted that this episode was the first to center around Gillian Anderson's character, and showed signs of Scully's vulnerability. [28] Connie Ogle from PopMatters ranked the episode amongst her "best" monster-of-the-week episodes. Ogle felt that Luther Lee Boggs was one of the "greatest" monster-of-the-week characters of the show, saying: "Spend a few minutes in Luther's skeevy presence, and alien abduction seems like a blessing". [29] Writers for IGN named the episode their second favourite stand alone episode of the show, noting favourably how it "flips" the established dynamic between Mulder and Scully. [30] In The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Gary Westfahl described the episode as one of the most "highly regarded" stand alone episodes. [31]

In a retrospective of the first season, Entertainment Weekly gave "Beyond the Sea" an A+, noting how it humanizes Scully and praising the casting of Dourif. [32] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B+, praising Dourif as Boggs but wondered specifically about his intentions. Despite liking the fact that Scully was the focus of the episode and praising Anderson's performance, he thought that its "main flaw" was the way it handled her moral crisis, opining that she appeared too weak. [33]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lowry (1995), pp. 130–131
  2. ↑ Vitaris, Paula (December 1995). "X-Writers". Starlog . The Brooklyn Company, Inc. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ Reeves, Jimmie L., Rodgers, Mark C. & Epstein, Michael in Lavery et al. (1996), p. 32
  4. ↑ Norman, Dalton (2021-12-05). "9 Actors From Twin Peaks Who Also Appeared In The X-Files". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ Kubek, Elizabeth in Lavery et al. (1996), p. 186
  6. 1 2 3 4 Edwards (1997), pp. 59–60
  7. 1 2 Carter, Chris. (1994). "Chris Carter talks about 12 of his favorite episodes from Season: Beyond the Sea". Fox Home Entertainment.
  8. 1 2 Lovece (1996), p. 78
  9. ↑ Chris Carter (director); Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz (writers). "I Want to Believe". The X-Files. Episode 2. Fox.
  10. ↑ Cornell, Day & Topping (1997), p. 60
  11. 1 2 3 4 Kubek, Elizabeth in Lavery et al. (1996), pp. 181–182
  12. ↑ Delsara (2000), p. 46
  13. ↑ Jagodzinski, Jan; Hipfl, Brigitte (May 2001), "Youth Fantasies: Reading "The X-Files" Psychoanalytically", Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education, 1 (2), University of Toronto Press: 1–14, doi:10.3138/sim.1.2.002
  14. ↑ Kowalski (2007), p. 132
  15. 1 2 3 Delsara (2000), pp. 118–119
  16. ↑ Malach, Michele in Lavery et al. (1996), p. 72
  17. ↑ Bellon, Joe (1999), "The Strange Discourse of The X-Files: What it is, What it Does, and What is at Stake", Critical Studies in Media Communication, 16 (2): 151, doi:10.1080/15295039909367083
  18. 1 2 Kowalski (2007), p. 130
  19. 1 2 Peterson, Paul C. (13 November 2009), "Religion in The X-Files", Journal of Media and Religion, 1 (3): 184, doi:10.1207/S15328415JMR0103_4, S2CID   144350548
  20. 1 2 Helford (2000), p. 71
  21. ↑ Kellner (2003), p. 148
  22. 1 2 3 Delsara (2000), p. 10
  23. 1 2 Mizejewski (2004), p. 101
  24. 1 2 Wilcox, Rhonda & Williams, J. P. in Lavery et al. (1996), pp. 102–103
  25. 1 2 3 Lowry (1995), p. 248
  26. ↑ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today . Gannett Company, Inc. 12 January 1994. p. D3.
  27. ↑ Farrand (1997), p. 223
  28. ↑ "A Look Back on Some of the Best Stand-Alone Episodes From The X-Files Series", The Vancouver Sun , CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc., July 25, 2008, archived from the original on March 3, 2016, retrieved August 25, 2010
  29. ↑ Ogle, Connie (July 28, 2008), "The X-Factor: A Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters", PopMatters , PopMatters Media, archived from the original on March 5, 2016, retrieved August 25, 2010
  30. ↑ Collura, Scott; Fickett, Travis; Goldman, Eric; Seghers, Christine. "IGN's 10 Favourite X-Files Standalone Episodes - TV Feature at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-05-17. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  31. ↑ Westfahl (2005), p. 1354
  32. ↑ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season I". Entertainment Weekly . November 29, 1996. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  33. ↑ Handlen, Zack (July 18, 2008). ""Beyond the Sea"/"Gender Bender"/"Lazarus"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved April 5, 2012.

Related Research Articles

<i>The X-Files</i> American television series

The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 1993 to May 2002 on Fox. During its original run, the program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A short tenth season consisting of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: the 1998 film The X-Files and the stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008, six years after the original television run ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Mulder</span> X-Files protagonist

Fox William Mulder is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series The X-Files, played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterrestrial or paranormal activity as those of a conspiracy theorist and supernaturalist; however, his skeptical but supportive partner, Special Agent Dana Scully, often finds them to be unexpectedly correct. He and Scully work in the X-Files office, concerned with unsolved FBI cases that are often revealed to be supernatural or extraterrestrial in nature. Mulder was a main character for the first seven seasons, but was limited to a recurring character for the following two seasons. He returns as a main character for the tenth and eleventh seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Scully</span> Fictional character in the television series The X-Files

Dr. Dana Katherine Scully, M.D., is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in the Fox science-fiction, supernatural television series The X-Files, played by Gillian Anderson. Scully is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent and a medical doctor (MD), partnered with fellow Special Agent Fox Mulder for seasons one to seven and seasons 10 and 11, and with John Doggett in the eighth and ninth seasons. In the television series, they work out of a cramped basement office at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC to investigate unsolved cases labeled "X-Files." In 2002, Scully left government employment, and in 2008, she began working as a surgeon in Our Lady of Sorrows, a private Catholic hospital – where she stayed for seven years, until rejoining the FBI. In contrast to Mulder's credulous "believer" character, Scully is the skeptic for the first seven seasons, choosing to base her beliefs on what science can prove. She later on becomes a "believer" after Mulder's abduction at the end of season seven.

<i>The X-Files</i> season 1 Season of the science fiction TV series

The first season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on September 10, 1993, and concluded on the same channel on May 13, 1994, after airing all 24 episodes.

<i>The X-Files</i> season 2 Season of television series The X-Files

The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox network in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, after airing all 25 episodes. The series follows Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, portrayed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson respectively, who investigate paranormal or supernatural cases, known as X-Files by the FBI.

Deep Throat (<i>The X-Files</i> episode) 2nd episode of the 1st season of The X-Files

"Deep Throat" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. This episode premiered on the Fox network on September 17, 1993. Written by series creator Chris Carter and directed by Daniel Sackheim, the episode introduces several elements which became staples of the series' mythology.

"The Jersey Devil" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on October 8, 1993. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Joe Napolitano, and featured guest appearances by Gregory Sierra, Wayne Tippit and Claire Stansfield. Although the episode is the series' second "Monster-of-the-Week" story—after the earlier "Squeeze"—it was the first to have been written by Carter.

Ascension (<i>The X-Files</i>) 6th episode of the 2nd season of The X-Files

"Ascension" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 1994. It was written by Paul Brown, directed by Michael Lange, and featured guest appearances by Steve Railsback, Nicholas Lea, Steven Williams and Sheila Larken. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology.

One Breath (<i>The X-Files</i>) 8th episode of the 2nd season of The X-Files

"One Breath" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 1994. It was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, directed by R. W. Goodwin, and featured guest appearances by Melinda McGraw, Sheila Larken and Don S. Davis. The episode helped to explore the series' overarching mythology. "One Breath" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.5, being watched by 9.1 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly positive reviews from television critics.

Irresistible (<i>The X-Files</i>) 13th episode of the 2nd season of The X-Files

"Irresistible" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 13, 1995. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by David Nutter, and featured the first of two guest appearances by Nick Chinlund as the death fetishist killer Donnie Pfaster. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode was viewed by 8.8 million people upon its first broadcast, and received positive reviews, with much praise to Chinlund's performance as the antagonist.

Colony (<i>The X-Files</i>) 16th episode of the 2nd season of The X-Files

"Colony" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on February 10, 1995. It was directed by Nick Marck, and written by series creator Chris Carter based on a story developed by Carter and lead actor David Duchovny. "Colony" featured guest appearances by Megan Leitch, Peter Donat and Brian Thompson. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology. "Colony" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.3, being watched by 9.8 million households in its initial broadcast. "Colony" is a two-part episode, with the plot continuing in the next episode, "End Game".

"The Blessing Way" is the first episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 22, 1995. It was directed by R.W. Goodwin, and written by series creator Chris Carter. "The Blessing Way" featured guest appearances by Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Peter Donat and Jerry Hardin, and introduced John Neville as the Well-Manicured Man. The episode helped explore the overarching mythology, or fictional history of The X-Files. "The Blessing Way" earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.3, being watched by 19.94 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.

"Oubliette" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, and originally aired on the Fox network on November 17, 1995. Written by Charles Grant Craig and directed by Kim Manners, "Oubliette" is a "monster of the week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. It earned a Nielsen rating of 10.5 and was watched by 15.90 million people on its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews. Both the emotional nature of the story and David Duchovny's performance received positive critical attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teliko</span> 3rd episode of the 4th season of The X-Files

"Teliko" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Howard Gordon and directed by James Charleston. The episode originally aired in the United States on October 18, 1996, on the Fox network. It is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Teliko" earned a Nielsen rating of 11.3, being watched by 18.01 million people upon its initial broadcast.

<i>The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction</i> Season of television series

Volume 1 of The X-Files Mythology collection is a DVD release containing selected episodes from the first to the third seasons of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episodes collected in the release form the beginning of the series' mythology, and are centred on alien abduction at the hands of "colonists". Several of the elements introduced in the collected episodes arose through necessity during production, as working around the pregnancy of lead actress Gillian Anderson led to both the creation of unifying plot thread and the introduction of several recurring characters.

"Conduit" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 1, 1993. It was written by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured a guest appearance by Carrie Snodgress as the mother of an abducted teenager.

This Is Not Happening (<i>The X-Files</i>) 14th episode of the 8th season of The X-Files

"This Is Not Happening" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season and the 175th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on February 25, 2001, on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners, and forms part of the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 9.7 and was watched by 16.9 million viewers, making it the highest-rated episode of the season. "This Is Not Happening" was received positively by television critics.

The mythology of The X-Files, sometimes referred to as its "mytharc" by the show's staff and fans, follows the quest of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder, a believer in supernatural phenomena, and Dana Scully, his skeptical partner. Their boss, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, was also often involved. Beginning with season 8, another skeptic named John Doggett, and Monica Reyes, a believer like Mulder, were also introduced. The overarching story, which spans events as early as the 1940s, is built around a government conspiracy to hide the truth about alien existence and their doomsday plan. Not all episodes advanced the mythology plot, but those that did were often set up by Mulder or Scully via an opening monologue.

Religion in <i>The X-Files</i>

The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from September 10, 1993 to May 19, 2002. The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans, such as "The Truth Is Out There," "Trust No One," and "I Want to Believe," became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s. The series followed the quest of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder, a believer in supernatural phenomena, and Dana Scully, his skeptical partner. Several episodes, characters, and story arcs deal directly with the notion of religion.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.