The X-Files season 2
The X-Files | |
---|---|
Season 2 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 25 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | September 16, 1994 May 19, 1995 | –
Season chronology | |
The second season of the
The second season of The X-Files takes place after the closure of the department following the events of the
The storylines were widely affected by the pregnancy of actress Gillian Anderson; it was decided that Scully would be kidnapped and abducted by aliens, explaining her absence and allowing her to appear comatose two episodes later, which ultimately added more intricacies to the mythology. The season earned seven
Plot overview
Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is reassigned to teach at the FBI Academy while Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is given lowly surveillance assignments. After he investigates extraterrestrial cases at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico,[1][2] Mulder is given a new partner, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), and meets a secretive informant, X (Steven Williams).[3][4] Mulder is recruited to assist in a hostage negotiation when Duane Barry, an alien abductee, captures four people.[5][6] Barry eventually kidnaps Scully, believing that if he brings her to his original abduction site, Skyland Mountain, aliens will take her instead of him. Mulder follows but is delayed by Krycek, who is revealed to be a mole working for Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). When Mulder reaches Skyland Mountain, Scully is gone. Barry, who insists that aliens took him, dies soon after an interrogation by Krycek. When Krycek vanishes, Skinner re-opens the X-Files, claiming that is what the conspirators will fear most.[7][8]
Scully turns up comatose in a hospital four weeks later with no explanation about how she got there. X provides Mulder with information allowing him to take revenge on her captors, but Mulder is instead convinced by Scully's sister Melissa to visit her bedside. Scully recovers and returns to work shortly thereafter.[9][10] The agents later investigate a case involving alien biology being injected into teenagers in Wisconsin, and once again they encounter Deep Throat's killer, who is killed by the local sheriff.[11][12]
When investigating a case involving the murder of identical doctors, the agents come across a shapeshifting Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) responsible for executing a series of alien clones. During this case a grown woman claiming to be Mulder's sister Samantha appears, telling Mulder of the Bounty Hunter's objectives and that she has the ability to identify him.[13][14] When Scully is kidnapped by the Bounty Hunter, Mulder is forced to trade Samantha for her. During a botched attempt to kill the Bounty Hunter, Samantha is killed. However, it is discovered that this was simply one of many alien clones of Samantha. With the help of X, Mulder pursues the Bounty Hunter to a submarine in the Arctic. Mulder is nearly killed when exposed to the Bounty Hunter's toxic blood, but is saved by Scully.[15][16]
When a hacker downloads decades' worth of classified information about aliens onto a digital tape, he gives it to Mulder, who finds that the entire tape is written in Navajo. Cigarette Smoking Man begins searching for the tape and visits Mulder's father, who calls Mulder to see him shortly afterwards. Before he can reveal anything to Mulder, however, he is murdered by Alex Krycek. Scully brings Mulder to New Mexico, where she introduces him to Albert Hosteen, a code-talker who can translate the digital tape. Albert's grandson shows Mulder a boxcar filled with alien corpses. Cigarette Smoking Man tracks Mulder's location, however, and orders the boxcar burned.[17][18]
Production
Writing and development
The season premiere was originally supposed to have been written by series creator
As the series ended its first season, a problem had arisen for the producers: the pregnancy of Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully. Some network executives wanted the role recast, which Carter refused to do.[21] Though they considered having Scully giving birth to an alien child, the producers decided to work around Anderson's pregnancy by having her abducted and appearing comatose several episodes later.[22] This was described by executive producer Frank Spotnitz as "the best thing that ever happened to the series" as it helped form the intricate mythology that would run throughout the show.[23] The writers decided to close the X-Files at the end of the first season and thus separate Mulder and Scully in the earlier episodes of the season.[22] To hide Anderson's pregnancy in the early episodes, the producers disguised it with "very fancy trick angles, trench coats, and scenes where she is seated rather than standing".[24] The two-parter of Carter's "Duane Barry" and Paul Brown's "Ascension" were scripted to culminate in Scully's abduction and the re-opening of the X-Files. Anderson does not feature at all in the following episode "3", as she was giving birth to her daughter at the time of filming.[25]
Casting
The season introduced the character
During the production of the season, Duchovny asked Carter "wouldn't it be great if we had like an alien bounty hunter?"
Crew
Carter also served as executive producer and
Producing-directors for the show included
Cast
Main cast
- David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
- Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully[a]
Recurring cast
- Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
- Steven Williams as X
- William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
- Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
- Melvin Frohike
- John Fitzgerald Byers
- Richard Langly
- William Mulder
Guest cast
- Margaret Scully
- Megan Leitch as Samantha Mulder
- Steve Railsback as Duane Barry
- Brian Thompson as Alien Bounty Hunter
- Richard Matheson
- Nick Chinlund as Donnie Pfaster
- Don S. Davis as William Scully
- Lindsey Ginter as Crew Cut Man
- Melissa Scully
- Teena Mulder
- Albert Hosteen
Episodes
Episodes marked with a double dagger (‡) are episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc.[nb 1]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
With the X-Files shut down, FBI agent Fox Mulder finds his own belief in the truth waning. So when an old political ally gives him a new reason to believe, he goes alone to an abandoned SETI program site—Arecibo Observatory—in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Concerned for his safety, fellow FBI agent Dana Scully has to track down his whereabouts before someone or something else does. | |||||||
26 | 2 | "The Host" | Daniel Sackheim | Chris Carter | September 23, 1994 | 2X02 | 15.9[36] |
When a man's decomposed body is found in the sewers of Newark, Mulder is given the supposed "grunt" work. But after Scully's autopsy turns up a parasite living inside the body and a sewer worker is attacked and bitten by something, it opens up a whole new can of worms. | |||||||
27 | 3 | "Blood" | David Nutter | Story by : Darin Morgan Teleplay by : Glen Morgan & James Wong | September 30, 1994 | 2X03 | 14.8[37] |
Prompted by messages from digital appliances with instructions to kill, several residents of a small farming community suddenly turn violent and dangerous. | |||||||
28 | 4 | "Sleepless" | Rob Bowman | Howard Gordon | October 7, 1994 | 2X04 | 13.4[38] |
An audio cassette hidden in his morning paper brings Mulder to request the case of a scientist's death consistent with burning, despite the lack of any evidence of any flames or burns. He is given his request along with a new partner, Agent Alex Krycek. | |||||||
29 | 5 | "Duane Barry"‡ | Chris Carter | Chris Carter | October 14, 1994 | 2X05 | 13.9[39] |
Ex-FBI agent Duane Barry escapes from a mental hospital and holds several people hostage in a travel agency. Mulder and Krycek are sent in to help with the negotiations since the man claims to have been a UFO abductee. | |||||||
30 | 6 | "Ascension"‡ | Michael Lange | Paul Brown | October 21, 1994 | 2X06 | 15.5[40] |
Continuing from the previous episode, Mulder races to Scully's house after listening to the recording of her attack on his answering machine. Duane Barry has kidnapped Scully, determined to offer her to the aliens in his place. Mulder goes to great lengths to attempt to locate Scully. | |||||||
31 | 7 | "3" | David Nutter | Chris Ruppenthal and Glen Morgan & James Wong | November 4, 1994 | 2X07 | 15.0[41] |
Walter Skinner reopens the X-Files, but Mulder is finding it difficult to work without the missing Scully. When he recognizes a Los Angeles killing as the work of the Trinity murderers, a trio of killers with a fetish for drinking blood, it gives him work in which to immerse himself. | |||||||
32 | 8 | "One Breath"‡ | R. W. Goodwin | Glen Morgan & James Wong | November 11, 1994 | 2X08 | 15.3[42] |
When Scully mysteriously re-appears comatose in a hospital, Mulder fixates himself on finding the people responsible, though his quest for vengeance could make him exactly like those he despises. | |||||||
33 | 9 | "Firewalker" | David Nutter | Howard Gordon | November 18, 1994 | 2X09 | 15.2[43] |
A malfunction in a robot designed for volcanic exploration yields evidence of a lifeform living in the caves. When this lifeform seemingly causes the death of a member of the research team, Mulder and a newly recovered Scully are flown out to the site in The Cascades to investigate before anyone else dies. | |||||||
34 | 10 | "Red Museum"‡ | Win Phelps | Chris Carter | December 9, 1994 | 2X10 | 16.1[44] |
Several Wisconsin teens are found wandering in the woods in their underwear with "He Is One" scrawled on their backs. Mulder and Scully travel to investigate this aberrant behavior, though the strangest thing in this meat-producing area is a mysterious cult of vegetarian "walk-ins." The Crew Cut Man returns, this time working alone. Several relics from the mythology like purity control and Deep Throat are revisited here. | |||||||
35 | 11 | "Excelsis Dei" | Stephen Surjik | Paul Brown | December 16, 1994 | 2X11 | 14.2[45] |
Mulder and Scully's latest case begins with the rape and battery of a nurse in a Massachusetts nursing home—what makes it an X-File is that her attacker was invisible but blames a 74 year old patient. However, upon their arrival, they uncover strange secrets about the home and its residents. | |||||||
36 | 12 | "Aubrey" | Rob Bowman | Sara B. Charno | January 6, 1995 | 2X12 | 16.2[46] |
When a detective mysteriously uncovers the remains of an FBI agent who disappeared in the 1940s while investigating a homicide case eerily similar to a modern-day one she is investigating, Mulder and Scully believe that the original 1940s killer passed his genetic trait of violence to his grandchild. | |||||||
37 | 13 | "Irresistible" | David Nutter | Chris Carter | January 13, 1995 | 2X13 | 14.7[47] |
Someone is excavating graves in Minneapolis, removing body parts from the corpses. Mulder and Scully are contacted because the agent on the case believes it is the work of aliens; however Mulder quickly dismisses the idea, profiling the perpetrator as a fetishist. Later key evidence shows up and Scully realizes the case is more personal than she thought. | |||||||
38 | 14 | "Die Hand Die Verletzt" | Kim Manners | Glen Morgan & James Wong | January 27, 1995 | 2X14 | 17.7[48] |
New Hampshire teenagers feign an occult ritual in an attempt to "score" and inadvertently cause the murder and mutilation of one of their group. When Mulder and Scully are called to look into the matter, the town's real worshippers attempt to hide their tracks, though it seems there is a mysterious force at work that even the worshippers are afraid of. | |||||||
39 | 15 | "Fresh Bones" | Rob Bowman | Howard Gordon | February 3, 1995 | 2X15 | 17.8[49] |
One morning, after two gruesome hallucinations, Private Jack McAlpin crashes his car into a tree that has a voodoo symbol drawn on it; the second death of a marine in two weeks that has featured that symbol. The marines in question were guarding a processing center for Haitian refugees, and when Mulder and Scully visit the center they find the deaths were not as unexpected as they seemed. | |||||||
40 | 16 | "Colony"‡ | Nick Marck | Story by : David Duchovny & Chris Carter Teleplay by : Chris Carter | February 10, 1995 | 2X16 | 15.9[50] |
At the beginning, a frozen Mulder is brought to a hospital. The episode flashes back to a scene two weeks before, where the crew of a research vessel find the wreckage of a UFO in the Beaufort Sea. The pilot who survives this crash walks out of the hospital and kills identical-looking doctors in various abortion clinics. | |||||||
41 | 17 | "End Game"‡ | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | February 17, 1995 | 2X17 | 17.5[51] |
An alien bounty hunter kidnaps Scully and wants to trade her for Mulder's sister, Samantha Mulder. Mulder asks for Skinner's help in making the trade, and has the FBI Director set up a sniper to take down the bounty hunter. | |||||||
42 | 18 | " James Whitmore, Jr. | Steve De Jarnatt | February 24, 1995 | 2X18 | 16.5[52] | |
The death of a federal construction worker and the destruction of various property can only be tied to an escaped elephant, yet the witnesses claim to have seen no animals which might have caused the turmoil. Soon, Mulder and Scully discover the local zoo whose claim to fame is that they've never had a successful animal birth. | |||||||
43 | 19 | "Død Kalm" | Rob Bowman | Story by : Howard Gordon Teleplay by : Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa | March 10, 1995 | 2X19 | 17.1[53] |
Mulder and Scully are called in when a boatload of survivors from a U.S. Navy destroyer escort are found. What particularly catches Agent Mulder's attention is that all of these Sailors appear to have aged many decades in the course of a few days. Mulder and Scully travel to Norway where they find a civilian fisherman who is willing to take them to the ship's last known position. | |||||||
44 | 20 | "Humbug" | Kim Manners | Darin Morgan | March 31, 1995 | 2X20 | 15.7[54] |
Mulder and Scully must find the paranormal among the abnormal when they are sent to investigate a long standing series of ritualistic killings which match no known patterns. The latest of which was the death of the "Alligator Man", just one of many sideshow acts around which the town of Gibsonton, Florida, is built. | |||||||
45 | 21 | "The Calusari" | Michael Vejar | Sara B. Charno | April 14, 1995 | 2X21 | 12.9[55] |
A photograph taken just before the death of a two-year-old boy yields evidence of some supernatural intervention which piques Mulder's curiosity. When another death in the family occurs, the grandmother of the remaining child requests the aid of some Romanian ritualists (called "călușari" or "horsemen") in order to cleanse the home of evil. | |||||||
46 | 22 | "F. Emasculata" | Rob Bowman | Chris Carter & Howard Gordon | April 28, 1995 | 2X22 | 14.0[56] |
After several men in a prison die of a mysterious illness, Scully tries to discover the cause while Mulder attempts to find two escapees who could potentially spread the disease. | |||||||
47 | 23 | "Soft Light" | James Contner | Vince Gilligan | May 5, 1995 | 2X23 | 12.9[57] |
An ex-student of Scully's asks the agents to help her with her first investigation concerning a number of disappearances with very few clues. Mulder ponders the idea of spontaneous human combustion but rethinks it when they find a man who is afraid of his own shadow. The man is Dr. Banton, a scientist researching dark matter. | |||||||
48 | 24 | "Our Town" | Rob Bowman | Frank Spotnitz | May 12, 1995 | 2X24 | 14.5[58] |
Dudley, Arkansas, is the site of the latest investigation for Mulder and Scully, who are sent to find a missing poultry inspector. The case takes a twist when another poultry worker is shot after she goes insane, giving Mulder a hunch that the townsfolk really are what they eat. | |||||||
49 | 25 | "Anasazi"‡ | R. W. Goodwin | Story by : David Duchovny & Chris Carter Teleplay by : Chris Carter | May 19, 1995 | 2X25 | 16.6[59] |
The trust that Mulder and Scully have is sorely tested when Mulder begins acting strangely. His aberrant behavior is compounded when the Lone Gunmen direct him to a hacker who managed to break into some very closely guarded files. The files are encrypted in Navajo and need to be decoded by a former Navajo code talker. |
Reception
Ratings
The second season of The X-Files debuted with "Little Green Men" on September 16, 1994. The episode earned a
Reviews
The DVD Journal gave the season four out of four stars, calling it a "memorable season". The review highlighted "
Many critics considered the "Duane Barry"/"Ascension"/"One Breath" story arc to be the best part of the season. Shearman singled out the three-parter as the highlight of the season, noting that the "intimacy" and "sincerity [of] the emotion" of the episodes allowed the mythology of The X-Files to play out for a further seven seasons.[65] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files named the story arc the top episode of The X-Files and wrote, "to this day, this remains the defining moment in the series run. So much sprang forth from this trio of episodes. ... Sensational."[66]
Accolades
The second season earned the series seven
DVD release
The X-Files – The Complete Second Season | |||||||
Set details[33] | Special features[33] | ||||||
|
| ||||||
Release dates | |||||||
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
November 28, 2000 | April 30, 2001 | April 20, 2001 |
Notes
- ^ The episodes were included in the DVD collection The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction, released by Fox.
- ^ "The Erlenmeyer Flask" was viewed by 8.3 million households whereas "Anasazi" was viewed by 9.6.[60] Subtracting the two figures and then dividing them by 9.6 million, which represents the largest possible audience, yields a percent increase of 13.5 percent.
References
- James Wong (writers) (September 16, 1994). "Little Green Men". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 1. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 161–163
- Rob Bowman (director); Howard Gordon(writer) (October 7, 1994). "Sleepless". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 4. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 169–170
- ^ Chris Carter (writer and director) (October 14, 1994). "Duane Barry". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 5. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 171–172
- ^ Michael Lange (director); Paul Brown (writer) (October 21, 1994). "Ascension". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 6. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 173–174
- James Wong(writers) (November 11, 1994). "One Breath". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 8. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 179–180
- ^ Win Phelps (director); Chris Carter (writer) (December 9, 1994). "Red Museum". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 10. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 184–185
- ^ Nick Marck (director); David Duchovny & Chris Carter (writers) (February 10, 1995). "Colony". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 16. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 199–201
- Rob Bowman (director); Frank Spotnitz(writer) (February 17, 1995). "End Game". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 17. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 202–204
- R.W. Goodwin (director); David Duchovny and Chris Carter(writers) (May 19, 1995). "Anasazi". The X-Files. Season 2. Episode 25. Fox.
- ^ Lowry, pp. 225–227
- ^ a b Vitaris, Paula (December 1995). "X-Writers". Starlog Presents Eerie T.V.
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 55
- ^ "About Gillian: Biography". The Official Website of Gillian Anderson. Gillian Anderson.ws. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Lowry, p. 24
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 44
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Lowry, p. 176
- ^ Paul Rabwin (narrator). Deleted Scenes: Sleepless (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Lovece, pp. 28–29
- ^ Carter, Chris et al. (2002). The Truth Behind Season 2 (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 57
- ^ a b Frank Spotnitz et al. (2004). Threads of Mythology (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Frank Spotnitz (2005). Audio Commentary for "End Game". The X-Files Mythology, Volume 1 – Abduction (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ Lowry, p. 162
- ^ Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Carter, Chris (2005). Audio Commentary for "Duane Barry" (DVD). The X-Files: The Complete Second Season, Disc 2: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "'Girl' Helps ABC Start Fall Season on Top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. September 21, 1994. p. 03D.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. September 28, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. October 5, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "CBS Edges Into No. 1 Spot, But Can It Stay? – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. October 12, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "Regular Series Put ABC Back on Top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. October 19, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "'Grace' Leads ABC to Tie With CBS – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. October 26, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "'Cagney & Lacey' Makes Winning Return – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. November 9, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "CBS' 'Scarlett' Sweeps to No. 1 – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. November 16, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "'Scarlett,' CBS' Sweeping Epic – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. November 23, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. December 14, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "ABC's Winning Way With Comedy – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. December 21, 1994. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. January 11, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "'ER' Rolls Into the No. 1 Spot – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. January 18, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Super Bowl Kicks ABC to the Top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. February 1, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. February 8, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. February 15, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. February 23, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. March 1, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. March 15, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Oscar Show, Celeb Chats Keep ABC on Top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. April 5, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. April 19, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. May 3, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Ratings Go to the Movies – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. May 10, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. May 17, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. May 24, 1995. p. D3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lowry (1996), p. 247
- ^ "ABC Hits a 'Home' Run". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Mendoza, Manuel (June 17, 1994). "A Program That Goes to X-Tremes – Fox's 'X – Files' Blends Subtlety and Strangeness". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ JJB. "The X-Files: The Complete Second Season". The DVD Journal. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ IGN Staff (December 7, 2000). "X-Files Season Two Gift Pack". IGN. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ a b Shearman and Pearson, pp. 32–55
- ^ Kessenich, p. 220
- ^ "The X-Files". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Lowry. pp. 257–258
- ^ "X-Files, The". GoldenGlobes.com. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
Bibliography
- Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-933784-80-9.
- Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination. New York, US: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
- 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.
- 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
- The X-Files at IMDb