Nothing Important Happened Today
"Nothing Important Happened Today" | |
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The X-Files episodes | |
Episode nos. | Season 9 Episodes 1 & 2 |
Directed by | Kim Manners Tony Wharmby |
Written by | Chris Carter Frank Spotnitz |
Production codes | 9ABX01 9ABX02 |
Original air dates |
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Running time | 44 minutes (per episode) |
Guest appearances | |
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"Nothing Important Happened Today" refers to the two premiere episodes of the
The show centers on
The episodes introduced both the story arc about baby William, which would continue to develop throughout the ninth season. Part 1 deals with the investigation of Deputy Director Alvin Kersh by special agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Doggett's related investigation into the death of EPA official Carl Wormus. In Part 2, Scully, Reyes, and Doggett are led to a ship, where they find evidence of experimentation on human embryos.
The episode was supposed to be the first appearance of
Plot
Nothing Important Happened Today I
Carl Wormus, an
Scully refuses to disclose Mulder's whereabouts to Doggett. Meanwhile, Assistant Director
The Lone Gunmen find that Wormus had been receiving data from Roland McFarland, the drowned reclamation worker. Doggett breaks into McFarland's office with Skinner and finds files on monochloramine, a mutation-inducing chemical, before Follmer arrives. Doggett slips into a filtration tank to hide, but is pulled deep underwater by McMahon.[1]
Nothing Important Happened Today II
The naval captain (Ryan Cutrona) delivers a communication to Dr. Nordlinger (Jeff Austin), who orders the vessel returned to its base. Follmer leaves the water reclamation facility after failing to spot Doggett, who is still underwater; McMahon keeps him alive by passing air from her lungs into his. Back at
Doggett wakes up at his home to find McMahon, who tells him that both she and Knowle Rohrer are invulnerable Super Soldiers developed by a military program. Doggett calls Scully to his house, and McMahon tells them that the program is to be expanded by adding chloramine to the water supply. Meanwhile, at the ship, now docked in Baltimore, the captain attempts to call Wormus. Rohrer approaches the captain, informing him that he is now second-in-command and demanding information on the vessel's mission. The body of the original officer is found in the water nearby.
Scully examines McMahon and finds her to be physically normal. Doggett is then suspended by Kersh and Follmer. Reyes tries to find out more about McMahon's history and learns that she is a
Scully, Reyes and Doggett go to the ship, where they are confronted by Rohrer. Just as Rohrer is about to crush Doggett's skull, he is decapitated by McMahon. Rohrer is presumed dead, but soon awakens and stabs McMahon. Both bodies tumble into the water. The three agents board the abandoned ship and find the captain's decapitated body. Scully gains access to the lab and finds evidence of manipulation of
Later, Doggett confronts Kersh, who was not implicated in the conspiracy. Kersh explains to Doggett that he left the evidence that helped Doggett, and that he had told Mulder to flee, but ultimately it was Scully who actually convinced Mulder to do so. Meanwhile, Scully dreams of McMahon's and Rohrer's lifeless bodies below the harbor. Suddenly, she sees McMahon's eyes snap open. Scully wakes up and the episode cuts to William's mobile; it begins to move on its own accord.[2]
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Lucy_Lawless_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/220px-Lucy_Lawless_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
The title "Nothing Important Happened Today" comes from an apocryphal legend that King George III wrote the phrase in his diary on 4 July 1776, the same day that the United States declared Independence from Britain.[3][4][5] The style of the opening credits in "Nothing Important Happened Today" was changed from the original credits, which, more or less, had been the same for the previous eight seasons. The credits included new graphics as well as new cards for Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi.[6] The tagline for Part 2 is "Nothing Important Happened Today", replacing the usual phrase "The Truth is Out There".[7]
The first part of the episode marks the first appearance of
In the first underwater scene, most of which was shot at the
Reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/SpotnitzandCarter.jpg/220px-SpotnitzandCarter.jpg)
Ratings
"Nothing Important Happened Today, Part 1" earned a
The episode was later included on The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers, a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien super soldiers arc.[15]
Reviews
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Daryl H. Miller of Los Angeles Times wrote positively of the episode, claiming it is "craftily written, solidly acted and moodily photographed".[16] Michael R. Farkash of The Hollywood Reporter gave the first part of the episode a largely positive review. Farkash called it "entertaining and appealing" and noted its "suspenseful plot twists and fascinating visuals".[17] An unnamed staff writer of Airlock Alpha was mostly positive about the episode, with the exception of Cary Elwes as Brad Follmer, calling Elwes' acting "forced".[18] Rob Lowman from the Los Angeles Daily News said that Carter had been able to "breathe new life" into the series mythology arc, and had a positive view of Lucy Lawless' performance.[19] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B+.[20] Starpulse named the changed credits the "Most Shocking Moment" in the series run, writing that the most drastic moment "came with the opening credits for season nine, a complete re-design that saw Annabeth Gish and Mitch Pileggi added to the opening sequence and the familiar graphics totally scrapped. These credits looked like they belonged to a different series and at that point, it was."[21]
Emily St. James of The A.V. Club awarded the first part a "C-", and the second part a "C".[22] She argued that the series was unable to figure out both how to re-situate itself after the events of September 11, and deal with the permanent departure of Duchovny. Ultimately, she wrote that the episodes as a whole represent "a limp piece of storytelling that has maybe enough good ideas for three-quarters of an episode but is stretched across two for no particular reason."[22] M.A. Crang, in his book Denying the Truth: Revisiting The X-Files after 9/11, was highly critical of the script, arguing it was difficult "to pinpoint any significant moments that occur during either episode", but he did praise the production team's execution of "some impressive set-pieces."[23] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated both episodes one star out of five.[3][24] In a review of the first part, the two noted that "this isn't quite the dullest season opener to The X-Files [but] this episode […] has all the passion of a wet Monday morning."[3] In a review of the second half, the two noted, "there is at least the semblance of drama here, but this second episode isn't significantly better than the first."[24] Marisa Guthrie from the Boston Herald felt that Gillian Anderson's character, Dana Scully had been "rendered impotent".[25]
Footnotes
- ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today I"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. November 18, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
- ^ "The X-Files - "Nothing Important Happened Today II"". TheXFiles.com. Fox Broadcasting Company. November 18, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
- ^ a b c Shearman and Pearson, p. 260.
- ^ Kellner, p. 154
- ^ "Reading the Declaration of Independence". National Public Radio. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ a b Carter, Chris, Patrick, Robert, Spotnitz, Frank and Gish, Annabeth (2002). The Truth Behind Season 9 (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Kim Manners (Director, Part 1); Tony Wharmby (Director, Part 2); Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (Writers). "Nothing Important Happened Today". The X-Files. Season 9. Episode 1 and 2. Fox.
- ^ Hinman, Michael (21 October 2001). "From X(ena) to X(-Files)". Airlock Alpha. Nexus Media Group Inc. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ a b Manners, Kim (2002). Audio commentary for "The Truth" (DVD). Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Tribune Company.
- ^ a b Kessenich, p. 193
- ^ Tribune Company.
- ^ a b Hinman, Michael (19 November 2001). "X-Files continues to falter". Airlock Alpha. Nexus Media Group Inc. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Kim Manners et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 4 – Super Soldiers (DVD). FOX.
- ^ Miller, Daryl H. (November 10, 2001). "X-Files Teasingly Opens Its Season". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010.
- ^ Farkash, Michael R. (November 9, 2001). "The X-Files (Review)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014.
- ^ Staff Writer (13 November 2001). "A little too much X-skin?". Airlock Alpha. Nexus Media Group Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
- MediaNews Group. Archived from the originalon 2 November 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
- Time Inc. Archived from the originalon October 13, 2012.
- ^ Payne, Andrew (25 July 2008). "'X-Files' 10 Best Episodes". Starpulse. Media Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ a b VanDerWerff, Emily (February 1, 2014). "The X-Files: 'Nothing Important Happened Today'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ISBN 9781517009038.
- ^ a b Shearman and Pearson, p. 261
- ^ Guthrie, Marisa (11 November 2001). "Television review; It's time to put X-Files in a drawer". Boston Herald. Herald Media Inc. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
Bibliography
- Kellner, Douglas (2003). Media Spectacle. ISBN 0-415-26828-1.
- Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. ISBN 1553698126.
- Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN 978-0-9759446-9-1.
External links
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