Two Fathers (The X-Files)
"Two Fathers" | |
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Cassandra Spender's wound oozes green fluid and then heals itself. | |
Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 11 |
Directed by | Kim Manners |
Written by | Chris Carter Frank Spotnitz |
Production code | 6ABX11 |
Original air date | February 7, 1999 |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Two Fathers" is the eleventh episode of the
The show centers on
"Two Fathers" was written in order to eliminate the Syndicate and relaunch the series' mythology. With the series being shot in
Plot
In a train car, doctors in chemical suits are making incisions on an unseen patient's stomach; green fluid seeps out of the wounds, which heal themselves. When Dr. Eugene Openshaw arrives, he is informed that their twenty-five-year-old project is finally completed. Moments later,
Mulder and partner Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) go over the crime scene photos from the train car incident and immediately recognize similarities to murders from a year earlier. Afterwards, Mulder and Scully visit Cassandra at the hospital who informs them that the aliens are here to destroy all life on Earth, further stating that this alien threat moves through the Universe to colonize other planets. She claims that a rebel force of aliens are mutilating their faces to prevent infection by the black oil.
Alex Krycek reports to the Syndicate on the rebel's recent attacks. The rebel, masquerading as the elder he killed, proposes that the Syndicate align themselves with the rebels. The Cigarette Smoking Man seems to recognize that the elder has opposed his own previous opinion—that siding with the rebels is suicide.
Mulder and Scully use the computer on the X-Files' office to find the Cigarette Smoking Man's real identity, that he is Agent Spender's father, C.G.B. Spender. Their unauthorized entry at the X-Files office is discovered by Agent Spender, resulting in both agents' immediate suspension from the FBI. Agent Spender, who then reports to the Cigarette Smoking Man demanding the truth, but is refused. Scully meets with Mulder, telling him that C.G.B. Spender is likely another alias and that the man is linked with Mulder's father,
The Cigarette Smoking Man then reveals everything to Agent
Production
The plan to eliminate the Syndicate and relaunch the series' mythology in a new direction was originally conceived in September 1998.[2] Director Kim Manners stated "I've said for years that the show really resolved itself, if you will, by accident. The whole story line of the Syndicate and the bees and the aliens and the chips in the neck, they all seemed to just accidentally fall into place and create an intriguing, mysterious storyline that eventually got so mysterious and so intriguing that Chris had to blow it up, because he couldn't deal with it anymore."[3]
The original script featured various flashback sequences, with actors Peter Donat, William B. Davis and Veronica Cartwright all appearing around twenty-to-thirty years younger. The production crew applied various types of makeup on the actors to "de-age" them. However, the writers eventually came to the conclusion that it "just didn't [...] work", so they cut out most of that storyline, which ultimately led to the creation of a whole new direction in which the Cigarette Smoking Man provided a monologue explaining the history of the project instead. The first scene was shot in Long Beach, California.[2][4]
The scene in which
The
Release and reception
The episode earned a
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. Tom Kessenich, in his book Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files wrote positively of the episode, saying it "wonderfully" developed the show's characters as "it unveiled many of the answers to the questions that have been dangling about for some time without using Mulder or Scully as conduits for many of these answers."
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B−" rating.[14] She concluded that the episode is an example of "propulsive fun" and applauded its myriad of attention-grabbing sequences.[14] However, she was critical of its plot, noting that "the series pretty much just picks Cassandra to be the answer to a lot of questions" concerning the show's mythology.[14] Not all reviews were so glowing. Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.[15] Vitaris wrote positively of the episode's filming, writing, "visually, the episode looks good […] but the scenes in the hangar are eye-poppers, with doors slowly opening and aliens walking forward, obscured by bright light."[15] However, she criticized the episode's plot, noting that "Two Fathers" was "heading straight down a path already trodden by dozens of books, short stories, movies, and other television shows."[15]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Meisler, pp. 135–144
- ^ a b Meisler, pp. 156–157
- ^ Hurwitz, Matt, Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. p. 159.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fox Home Entertainment.
- ^ a b Meisler, p. 294
- ^ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". barb.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e April 19–25, 1999", listed under Sky 1
- ^ a b "Advanced Primetime Awards Search". Academy of Television Arts & Science. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ Kim Manners et al. The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization (DVD). FOX.
- ^ Kessenich, p. 37
- ^ "Chris Carter Feels 'X-Files' Will End By Spring of 2000". The Buffalo News.
- ^ Cressey, Earl (5 November 2002). "X-Files: Season Six". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- Salon. Salon Media Group. Archived from the originalon 25 July 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ Runstrom, Melissa (November 27, 2002). "'X-Files' DVD showcases highs, lows of season six". The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ^ a b c VanDerWerff, Emily (18 August 2012). "'Two Fathers'/'Collateral Damage' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ^ a b c Vitaris, Paula (October 1999). "Sixth Season Episode Guide". Cinefantastique. 31 (8): 26–42.
Bibliography
- 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.
External links
- "Two Fathers" at IMDb