Duane Barry
"Duane Barry" | |
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The X-Files episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Chris Carter |
Written by | Chris Carter |
Cinematography by | John Bartley |
Production code | 2X05 |
Original air date | October 14, 1994 |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Duane Barry" is the fifth episode of the
The show centers on
The episode marked Carter's debut as a director. While never having directed before, he would go on to direct such episodes as "The List", "The Post-Modern Prometheus", "Triangle", and "Improbable", as well as the second feature film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and three episodes of the tenth season. The storyline was inspired by the true story of Phineas Gage, a 19th-century medical case.
Plot
In 1985, at his home in Pulaski, Virginia, Duane Barry (Steve Railsback) is abducted by aliens. Nine years later, Barry has become a violent patient in a mental institution, refusing to take his medication and insisting that the aliens are coming back for him. He attacks a security guard and steals his gun, taking head psychiatrist Dr. Hakkie hostage before escaping. Barry seeks to return to his original abduction site with Dr. Hakkie, in the hopes that the aliens will take the doctor instead when they return. But since he can't remember where the abduction site is located, Barry heads to a travel agency and holds the three clerks hostage along with Dr. Hakkie.
Scully arrives and reveals that Barry's
The next day, Mulder visits Barry in the hospital. Kazdin appears, revealing that metal implants were found in Barry's body and that tiny holes were found in his teeth, in the same manner he had described. Mulder gives one of the implants to Scully, who has it reviewed by a ballistics expert; they find a microscopic barcode imprinted on it. Later, at a supermarket, Scully swipes the implant across a checkout scanner, causing the machine to malfunction while displaying a strange serial number. At her house, Scully leaves a message on Mulder's voicemail, suggesting that Barry had been "catalogued" by the implant. But just then, Barry—having escaped from the hospital—breaks in through Scully's window and kidnaps her.[1][2]
Production
Conception
"Duane Barry" was originally planned to be a standalone mythology episode, but the news of Gillian Anderson's pregnancy led to the creation of a two-part episode, since the production crew knew they needed Anderson to disappear until she had given birth. The follow-up episode, "Ascension", was written by Paul Brown.[3]
Much of Carter's inspiration for the episode came from reports of Phineas Gage, who underwent a personality change after a blasting accident drove an iron rod completely through his head[3] (though the idea that Gage became violent, immoral, or a pathological liar, as Scully describes him, is without foundation).[4][5] The aliens' use of a dental drill on Barry was inspired by a neighbour of Carter who said that he was abducted and that the aliens drilled holes into his teeth – which a dentist analyzed and said could not be done with any equipment he knew.[6]
The aliens seen at the start of the episode were portrayed by children. Carter wrote specifically the part of Barry with Steve Railsback in mind, saying, "I've resisted casting the marquee names only because it takes you out of the show; makes the show less believable. But there are certain actors who just call out for the part."[7] Originally, Railsback character was named Duane Garry, but it was changed after learning that a person within the FBI had the same name. Carter has mentioned that he disliked the new name at first but got used to it over time.[3]
Filming
"It was actually a good test of my skills. I kept communicating with directors for 30 episodes, telling them what I wanted. Now it was really a chance to show them what I wanted."
—Chris Carter on his directorial debut[6]
This episode marked Carter's directing debut. Being the first he had ever directed, David Nutter from the directing staff helped, tipped, and showed him what to do. With Nutter's help, Carter learned how to block entire scenes. When commenting on his experience, Carter told that he sometimes followed Nutter's advice down to "the letter". When directing the episode, Carter wanted to create a different feel for the episode, by focusing more on the performances given by the actors, than the mechanical set designs.[3] He declared that directing he learned about "things you take for granted as a writer and producer", that lead to "compromises" for things Carter could not do on-screen,[6] and compared the episode to a stage play as most is set in a single place, the travel agency.[8]
During the filming of Barry's abduction, they had a "film run out" which, according to Carter, gave the scene a "very eerie effect".[3] Shooting that scene was a "real test" according to Carter.[9] Carter was pleased with the outcome, saying he was able to show viewers what he wanted out of The X-Files, which he felt he was "very successful" at.[10] The visual effects crew had to hang a "giant light" over the house where Barry was being abducted. It took the course of forty-five minutes to shoot the scene. According to Carter, much teamwork was required to film that particular scene. As he puts it, he was actually forced to stay "behind the camera" to see the end results.[3] For the experiments, Railsback was put in a plaster model of his back as he was lifted by a hydraulic device, and had water squirted on his mouth for the dental drill.[11]
Reception
"Duane Barry" premiered on the
The episode was well received by the cast and crew of The X-Files. Producer J.P. Finn praised the episode and Carter's directing, saying "We were all pretty nervous doing that one, because Chris Carter was a new director. It turned out that he directed very well...It was a great script, a great cast, and he ended up directing a home run. One of the charming things about it was the end, where we had these alien heads placed on young children. It was so endearing to see them on the set between takes, playing with Chris and everyone".[16] Actor David Duchovny said of Carter's directing: "Chris came in meticulously prepared, which is his nature. I think his first episode was great".[17] Carter himself described it as one of his favorite episodes because "it was a chance for me to sort of do it all, and it came out in ways better than I imagined it would".[6]
The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. Matt Roush from
Footnotes
- ^ a b Lowry, pp. 171–172
- ^ Lovece, pp. 117–119
- ^ a b c d e f Carter, Chris (2005). Audio Commentary for "Duane Barry" (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Macmillan, pp. 116–119
- ^ Macmillan & Lena, passim
- ^ Fox.
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 57
- Fox. 1994–1995.
- ^ a b Lovece, p. 120
- ^ Edwards, p. 100
- Fox. 1994–1995.
- ^ Nutter, David; et al. (2000). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season (booklet). Beverly Hills, California: 20th Century Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Lowry, p. 249
- ^ Lowry, p. 172
- ^ "Advanced Primetime Awards Search". Academy of Television Arts & Science. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- ^ Edwards, pp. 100–101
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles,p. 110
- ^ Roush, Matt (October 14, 1994). "Fridays take dramatic turn // Fright, film noir and 'Fences' fill the bill". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- Contra Costa Times. June 12, 1998.
- San Jose Mercury News. May 19, 2002.
- ^ a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 35–36
- ^ Handlen, Zack (August 22, 2008). "The X-Files: "Sleepless" / "Duane Barry" / "Ascension"". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
Bibliography
- Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-21808-1.
- Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-933784-80-9.
- Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-1745-X.
- Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-105330-9.
- Macmillan, Malcolm (2000). An Odd Kind of Fame: Stories of Phineas Gage. ISBN 0-262-13363-6.
- — and M.L. Lena (May 17, 2010). "Rehabilitating Phineas Gage". Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. 20 (5): 641–658. S2CID 205655881.
External links
- "Duane Barry" on TheXFiles.com
- "Duane Barry" at IMDb