Theef
| "Theef" | |
|---|---|
| The X-Files episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Kim Manners |
| Written by | Vince Gilligan John Shiban Frank Spotnitz |
| Production code | 7ABX14 |
| Original air date | March 12, 2000 |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Theef" is the fourteenth episode of the
The show centers on
"Theef" was written in a short period during the show's Christmas break after another script was dropped by the series. The main concept of the episode was "modern medicine versus backyards supernatural arts". The episode featured several noted actors, including
Plot
Dr. Irving Thalbro is staying the night with his daughter and her family in Marin County, California, including her husband Dr. Robert Wieder (James Morrison). In the middle of the night, Irving finds a pile of dirt shaped like a man in his bed. Irving is eventually discovered by Robert hanging from the ceiling with the word "theef" painted in Irving's blood on the wall.
While investigating the next morning,
Peattie visits Dr. Wieder at work but refuses to tell him why he is committing these hexes against his family. Wieder does some research of his own and finds a bracelet in a
Meanwhile, Peattie's
Production
Writing
The script for "Theef" was written by Frank Spotnitz, John Shiban, and Vince Gilligan during the production crew's Christmas break after a previous script was scrapped at the last minute. After mulling over options, the three decided to craft a story about "modern medicine versus backyards supernatural arts".[2] Gilligan later joked that "I think I was enlisted for the fact that I'm Southern, and they thought I was the closest thing they had to a hillbilly on the staff".[3]
Producer David Amann explained that the inspiration for the story was the question, "What if you have a doctor who is prosperous but has a dark page from his past that comes back to haunt him?"[2] Spotnitz later elaborated that the story initially was "going to be how do you get rid of something you can't get rid of".[2] However, the writers soon found this storyline difficult to develop, and, by Spotnitz's own admission, the story "started to evolve into a Cape Fear type of situation".[2] The episode's script was finalized by the writers in December 1999 and Kim Manners was selected as the episode's director.[2]
Casting, directing, and makeup
According to series creator
Kim Manners found "Theef" was difficult to shoot because the cast and crew had inadequate time to prepare. He explained, "It was kind of a rush thing and we got the script very late. We were totally winging it while we were shooting it".
Cheri Montesanto-Medcalf, one of the show's makeup creators, was extremely pleased with Drago's makeup in the episode. She later noted, "I remember Billy Drago was awesome–he looked so creepy after makeup. I just wanted this guy to look super-creepy and disturbing to look at, but real enough that you might be scared if you looked out your window at night and saw him standing there".[6]
Broadcast and reception
"Theef" first aired in the United States on March 12, 2000.
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B+", and called it "the strongest straight-up, non-experimental standalone the season’s had so far," as well as one of "the strongest 'scary' episode since season five."[13] She praised the guest cast—mostly notably Drago and Morrison—and wrote that the writers of the episode were able to successfully make the character deaths in the episode count in a way that moved the audience. VanDerWerff's main criticism of the episode was that it painted Peattie "as a backwoods hick and a rather broad stereotype of one."[13] Tom Kessenich, in his book Examinations, gave the episode a moderately positive review. Despite slightly criticizing the episode utilizing a voodoo-based plot, which he called "[not] terribly original", he concluded that "there's nothing wrong with a little modern medicine vs. practical magic confrontation. And I definitely enjoyed how Scully had her envelope pushed once again".[14] Rich Rosell from Digitally Obsessed awarded the episode 4 out of 5 stars, noting, "writer Vince Gilligan gets fairly serious in this ep concerning a series of deadly hexes cast upon a doctor and his family, as well as some cryptic scrawlings. There's plenty of bad mojo going around as the X-Files team gets to dig deep into the dark side of the magick arts, with Scully at one point losing her sight, thanks to a vengeful hex doll. Spooky".[15] TV Guide later named the episode's main antagonist, Orell Peattie, as one of "The Scariest X-Files Monsters".[16] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately mixed review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.[17] She concluded that "although 'Theef' is burdened with some illogical plot developments and some underdeveloped characterization, overall it is a decent installment of The X-Files".[17]
Several other reviews were more mixed. Kenneth Silber from
Footnotes
- ^ a b Shapiro, pp. 169–179
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Shapiro, p. 179
- ^ a b Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 179
- ^ Meisler, pp. 182–194
- .
- ^ Ray, Roxie (April 2002). "Disfigured Corpses and Moldy FBI Agents Lead Team to Emmy Award". Cinefantastique. 34 (2): 46–47.
- Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ a b Shapiro, p. 281
- ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e June 12–18, 2000", listed under Sky 1
- Los Angeles, California: Fox Broadcasting Company. 2000.
- ^ "The X-Files". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 241
- ^ a b VanDerWerff, Emily (January 19, 2013). "The X-Files: "First Person Shooter" / "Theef"". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ Kessenich, p. 120
- ^ Rosell, Rich (27 July 2003). "The X-Files: The Complete Seventh Season". DigitallyObsessed. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ "X Files Scariest Monsters Pictures, Milagro Photos - Photo Gallery: The Scariest X-Files Monsters". TV Guide. United Video Satellite Group. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ a b Vitaris, Paula (October 2000). "The X-Files Season Seven Episode Guide". Cinefantastique. 32 (3): 18–37.
- ^ a b Silber, Kenneth (7 July 2000). "The X-Files - 'Theef'". Space.com. TechMediaNetwork. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ Shearman and Pearson, pp. 218–219
Bibliography
- Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-933784-80-9.
- Kessenich, Tom (2002). Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files. ISBN 1-55369-812-6.
- Meisler, Andy (2000). The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to the X-Files Season 6. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-107595-7.
- Shapiro, Marc (2000). All Things: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 6. Harper Prism. ISBN 0-06-107611-2.
- 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
- "Theef" at IMDb
