118. The Beginningguests: William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) Chris Owens (Special Agent Jeffrey Spender) Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Mimi Rogers (Agent Diana Fowley) Jeff Gulka (Gibson Praise) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh) Kim Robillard (Homer) Arthur Taxier (Assistant Director Bart) Wendie Malick (Assistant Director Maslin)
Mulder is less than thrilled when an Office of Professional Conduct board refuses to reassign he and Scully to The X-Files and even moreso when he learns that Agent Spender and Agent Fowley have become their sucessors.
When Gibson Praise reappears and comes to them for help, Mulder and Scully attempt to continue their quest undercover despite having less friends, access and protection than ever before.
NOTE: In an interview with the LA Times (August 28, 1998), Chris Carter explained that the first thing in the opening teaser of the premiere is a shot of the sun. The camera then pans down to a desert landscape - a scene they would never have been able to do in Vancouver. Carter says that these opening images are a "wink to the audience that we are now in the land of sunshine".
"Homer", sleeping at the helm of the nuclear power plant, was a nod to The Simpsons dad, Homer Simpson; a show which portrayed Mulder and Scully in cartoon form in the episode "The Springfield Files".
From this episode Chris Owens is now billed under the "Also Starring" heading. 119. Drive
guests: Bryan Cranston (Patrick Crump) Michael O'Neill (Patrol Captain) Harry Danner (CDC Doctor) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh) Junior Brown (Farmer)
Mulder is trapped in a car with a man who has developed a serious ear condition which can only be suppressed by driving west at high speeds. As Scully tries to find the cause and a cure for the problem, Mulder and the man get closer and closer to the ocean.
NOTE: In yet another reference to writer Vince Gilligan's girlfriend Holly Rice, the gas station where Mulder steals the station wagon is named "Holly's".
120. Triangle
guests: William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) Chris Owens (Special Agent Jeffrey Spender) Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh) Madison Mason (Captain Yip Harburg) Trevor Goddard (1st British Crewman) G.W. Stevens (2nd British Crewman) Greg Ellis (3rd British Crewman) Nick Meaney (4th British Crewman) Kai Wulff (3rd Nazi) Tom Braidwood (Frohike) Dean Haglund (Langly) Bruce Harwood (Byers)
Mulder goes to the Bermuda Triange when he learns that the Queen Anne, a British luxury liner which disappeared during WWII, has re-appeared in the middle of the Sargasso Sea. Mulder's boat is wrecked and after floating in the water, he is hauled aboard the ship which has just been hijacked by the Nazis searching for the man who will build the atom bomb.
Mulder tries to convince the crew that they have traveled into the future but evidence further suggests that it is he, who is back in the past.
NOTE: The use of split-screens and real-time shots from the 1939 Queen Anne to the 1998 Queen Anne is a masterstroke in this episode, especially the scene where Scully and her 1939 counterpart cross each others paths at the same point.
A strange tagline change this time: 'Die Wahrheit Ist Irgendwo Da Drauben', German for 'The Truth Is Somewhere Out There'.
This episode we see the first of 4 on-screen kisses between Mulder & Scully, although it is Scully's past life.
Much of this episode was filmed on board the retired ocean liner "Queen Mary", currently docked in Los Angeles.121. Dreamland (part 1)
guests: Michael McKean (Morris Fletcher) John Mahon (General Wegman) Michael B. Silver (Howard Grodin) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh) Scott Allan Campbell (Jeff Smoodge) Julia Vera (Mrs. Lana Chee) Nora Dunn (Joanne Fletcher)
While being detained near the famed "Dreamland" Area 51, a strange craft flies overhead and Mulder swaps bodies with an Area 51 'Man-in-Black'. While the other agent has fun in Mulder's body, Mulder himself finds it difficult to fit into someone else's life, especially a shadowy one.
Mulder contacts Scully about the body-swap and tries to get her the Flight Data Recorder from the UFO test flight but his alter ego uses Mulder's FBI persona to have him arrested.
NOTE: As noted, Dreamland is the nickname for Area 51, the Air Force base near Groom Lake, Nevada which is reputed to be the US Government's base for conducting experiments with alien technology. "Dreamland" actually stands for "Data Repository Establishment and Management Land".
The man-in-black Morris Fletcher is named after Michael McKean's son, Fletcher McKean. 122. Dreamland II (part 2)
guests: Michael McKean (Morris Fletcher) John Mahon (General Wegman) Michael B. Silver (Howard Grodin) Scott Allan Campbell (Jeff Smoodge) Julia Vera (Mrs. Lana Chee) Andrew Sikking () Chris Upland (Sam) Tom Braidwood (Frohike) Dean Haglund (Langly) Bruce Harwood (Byers) Nora Dunn (Joanne Fletcher)
Mulder is thrown in jail at the Area 51 compound but is released when it is discovered that the flight data recorder he stole was a fake. Scully comes to her senses and realises that the Mulder she sees isn't who he really is and heads back to Nevada to help the real Mulder.
Meanwhile, the mechanism that caused the body swap is rapidly snapping back, undoing everything in it's wake and Mulder and his alter ego must race to put themselves back where they belong.
NOTE: Fletcher comments that Saddam Hussein is really a dinner theatre actor named 'John Gillnitz'. The name is a combination of the writers names: John Shiban, Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz.
Scully says to Mulder-in-Morris's-body, "I'd kiss you if you weren't so damn ugly" which is what Zira (Kim Hunter) said to Charlton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes. 123. How The Ghosts Stole Christmas
guests: Lily Tomlin (Lida) Edward Asner (Maurice)
Mulder talks Scully into investigating a haunted house on Christmas Eve where several couples have met their fate on that very night. While there they encounter endless tricks and traps set by a ghostly couple who originally made a lovers suicide pact in the house, and they try to convince Mulder and Scully to kill each other.
NOTE: The haunted house's address, 1501 Larkspur Lane, may be a reference to a Nancy Drew mystery story, "Password to Larkspur Lane".
Lily Tomlin, is one of America's foremost comediennes, she has enjoyed an extraordinary career spanning all facets of the entertainment industry including feature films, television and theatre.
124. Terms of Endearment
guests: Chris Owens (Special Agent Jeffrey Spender) Bruce Campbell (Wayne Weinsider) Lisa Jane Persky (Laura Weinsider) Michael Milhoan (Deputy Arky Stevens) Grace Phillips (Betsy Monroe)
After a scan of a couple's unborn child is found to have strange growths protruding from the head and back, the foetus is taken from inside the mother by a demon creature while she is asleep.
Mulder heads to investigate after Agent Spender dismisses the claims, and discovers that the father is actually a demon who wants to have a 'normal' child.
NOTE: Bruce Lorne Campbell is better know for the Evil Dead films and guest stars in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
125. Rain King
guests: Victoria Jackson (Sheila Fontaine) Clayton Rohner (Daryl Mootz) David Manis (Holman Hardt) Dirk Blocker (Mayor Jim Gilmore) Francesca Ingrassia (Cindy Culpepper)
Strange weather phenomena in a small town leads Mulder to believe that a weatherman whose deep emotions and unspoken love toward his workmate are becoming real in the form of snow and tornadoes.
126. S.R. 819
guests: Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Raymond J. Barry (Senator Richard Matheson) John Towey (Kenneth Orgel) Kenneth Tigar (Dr. Plant) Jenny Gago (Dr. Katrina Cabrera) Nicholas Lea (Alex Krycek)
Skinner is infected with a biogically engineered disease by a shadowy goverment organisation which will kill him in 24 hours unless Mulder can track down the leader of the group and find a cure.
NOTE: This is the third attempt to break Skinner away from Mulder and Scully. In 'Piper Maru' he was shot by Luis Cardinal, in 'Avatar' they tried to frame him for murder, and here they infect him with a disease which Krycek eventually uses to blackmail him.
127. Tithonus
guests: Geoffrey Lewis (Alfred Fellig) Richard Ruccolo (Agent Peyton Ritter) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh)
Assistant Director Kersh tries to tear Scully and Mulder apart when he partners Scully with a New York agent investigating Alfred Fellig, a freelance police photographer who conveniently shows up to document the scene of a death as soon as it happens.
While the young hotshot agent is convinced that Fellig is murdering the people, Scully has other (paranormal) theories.
NOTE: Some might recognise guest star Richard Ruccolo from his starring role as Pete Dunville in Two Guys and A Girl.
One of Fellig's alter-egos is L.H. Rice, named after writer Vince Gilligan's girfriend, Lucy 'Holly' Hartwell Rice.
L.H. Rice's birthdate is April 4th, which also holds true for the real L.H. Rice.128. Two Fathers (part 1)
guests: William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) Chris Owens (Special Agent Jeffrey Spender) Nicholas Lea (Alex Krycek) Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Veronica Cartwright (Cassandra Spender) Nick Tate (Dr. Openshaw) George Murdock (2nd Elder) Don S. Williams (1st Elder) Al Ruscio (3rd Elder) Frank Ertl (4th Elder) Mimi Rogers (Agent Diana Fowley)
While Cigarette Smoking Man recites to an unseen listener everything about the work of the Syndicate involving a global conspiracy in co-operation with an alien species, Cassandra Spender reappears and is pursued by the scientists who would rather kill her than keep her alive.
Cassandra runs to Mulder's apartment and demands that he shoot her because she is the culmination of 50 years work - a living alien/human hybrid, and colonisation will begin if the aliens find out about her.
NOTE: Recurring Special Guest Star Mimi Rogers (Agent Diana Fowley) is uncredited in this episode.
In this episode Cassandra wants to end her life because her existence as the first alien/human hybrid signals the beginning of alien colonization. In Greek the name Cassandra means "Prophet of Doom".
Nick Tate maybe better known to some as Alan Carter in Space 1999. 129. One Son (part 2)
guests: William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) Chris Owens (Special Agent Jeffrey Spender) Nicholas Lea (Alex Krycek) Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Mimi Rogers (Agent Diana Fowley) Veronica Cartwright (Cassandra Spender) Laurie Holden (Marita Covarrubias) Tom Braidwood (Frohike) Dean Haglund (Langly) Bruce Harwood (Byers) Don S. Williams (1st Elder) Al Ruscio (3rd Elder) Frank Ertl (4th Elder) James Pickens Jr. (Assistant Director Kersh) Peter Donat (William Mulder)
CSM reveals all the government secrets from the past 50 years in order for his son, Jeffery Spender to join him in his work. Mulder learns that the final stage of the conspiracy will soon begin with the annihilation of the Syndicate members and he must stop it from happening. Agent Spender decieves his father and arranges for Mulder and Scully to be reassigned to the X-Files, which doesn't sit too well with CSM, who kills him.
NOTE: This episode, which finally puts to rest everything about the government conspiracy with an alien species, begins with a montage of flashbacks stretching back to 'The Erlenmeyer Flask'.
130. Agua Mala
guests: Allen Cutler (Roadblock Officer) Jeremy Roberts (George Vincent) Joel McKinnon Miller (Deputy Greer) Diana-Maria Riva (Angela Villareal) Valente Rodriguez (Walter Suarez) Silas Weir Mitchell (Dougie) Nichole Pelerine (Sara Shipley) Max Kasch (Evan Shipley) Darren McGavin (Arthur Dales)
Arthur Dales summons Mulder and Scully to his holiday home in Florida where he is concerned over the disappearance of his neighbors. Despite the raging hurricane, Mulder and Scully head out to investigate and discover several strange deaths caused by an octopus-like sea creature that swam in through the overflowing sewer system.
NOTE: 'Auga Mala' is Spanish for "Bad Water".
131. Monday
guests: Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Carrie Hamilton (Pam) Darren E. Burrows (Bernard)
A woman is forced to relive the same day over and over as she tries to prevent Mulder and Scully from being killed by her boyfriend during a bank robbery attempt; and as the events restart again and again, Mulder's sense of Deja-vu grows stronger.
NOTE: Writer Vince Gilligan gives us another reference to his girlfriend, Holly Rice. The Cradock Marine Bank is named for a suburb of Portsmouth, Virginia where Holly grew up, and Holly's mother's maiden name is Bernard.
132. Arcadia
guests: Peter White (Gene Gogolak) Abraham Benrubi (Big Mike) Debra Christofferson (Pat Verlander) Tom Gallup (Win Shroeder) Marnie McPhail (Cami Shroeder) Roger Morrissey (Ubermenscher)
On their first official case back on the X-Files, Mulder and Scully go undercover as a married couple at a prestigious planned community where several residents have recently disappeared after failing to comply with the rules and regulations.
NOTE: The pseudonyms used by Mulder and Scully in this episode are "Rob and Laura Petrie" after Rob & Laura Petrie from the Dick Van Dyke Show (although Mulder and Scully pronounce it "pee-trie", like the dish).
133. Alpha
guests: Melinda Culea (Karin Berquist) Thomas Duffy (Officer Jeffrey Cahn) Michael Mantell (Dr. James Riley) David Starwalt (Officer Fiedler) Andrew Robinson (Dr. Ian Detweiler)
A scientist captures a thought-extinct species of wild dog in Asia and brings it to America but it escapes and begins killing people.
NOTE: Parts of this episode take place in Bellflower, California; which is Chris Carter's home town.
This episode has an alternate ending. In that, the episode doesn't stop with Mulder looking at the poster, but with Cohn turning around in his bed, to reveal that his eyes turn to that freakish red thing. This can be seen on the DVD box.
Andrew Robinson will be better known to Star Trek fans as Garak in Deep Space Nine, his other credits include Larry Cotton in Hellraiser, The Sniper
in Dirty Harry, he's also a well established writer and Director.134. Trevor
guests: John Diehl (Wilson "Pinker" Rawls) Tuesday Knight (Jackie Gurwitch) Frank Novak (Raybert Fellowes) David Bowe (Robert Werther) Catherine Dent (June Gurwitch)
After a tornado rips through a prison camp, one of the inmates disappears from solitary confinement and the prison warden is killed. As Mulder and Scully track him, he appears to have the power to pass through solid matter while changing its composition.
NOTE: "Trevor" is named after Trevor Marquiss, a young nephew of Producer John Shiban.
Guest-stars John Diehl and Catherine Dent later go on to appear in the FX series "The Shield." 135. Milagro
guests: John Hawkes (Phillip Padgett) Nestor Serrano (Ken Naciamento) Michael Bailey Smith (Guard) Angelo Vacco (Kevin) Jillian Bach (Maggie)
A writer living next to Mulder becomes obsessed with Scully and confesses to her that he is using her for a character in his novel. Scully finds herself strangely drawn to him even though he is now the prime suspect in the murder case that she and Mulder are investigating.
NOTE: A Milagro is the talisman that Padgett gives to Scully in the church. 'Milagro' is also Spanish for "Miracle".
In the cemetery, the camera seems to linger on a tombstone engraved with the names "Diana and Nicholas Salinger", which are the names of the late parents of the kids on Party of Five.
'Phillip Padgett' is also the name of the character played by Nicholas Lea in an episode of The Burning Zone titled "The Hall of the Serpent".136. The Unnatural
guests: Jesse L. Martin (Josh Exley) Fredric Lehne (young Arthur Dales) Brian Thompson (Bounty Hunter) Lou Beatty Jr (Coach) Burnell Roques (Buck Johnson) Jesse James (Poorboy) M. Emmet Walsh (Arthur Dales)
Mulder meets with Agent Arthur Dales' brother (also named Arthur!) and is told a tale of a talented negro baseball player from Roswell, New Mexico in the 1940's who may have been an alien that ran away from his colony because of his love for the game.
NOTE: Significant of an episode about baseball, the tagline for this episode changes to 'In The Big Inning'.
Due to Darin McGavin's unfortunate illness he could not reprise his role as Arthur Dales, so the script was re-written with the key storyteller being his brother Arthur!
altough the above note is correct, Mr Macgavin did reprise his role in this episode, at least for 2 scenes. the Season 6 box set DVD features 2 alternate takes for scenes shot in the episode with Darren Macgavin. Scene one is the scene in the kitchen Where Mulder asks if the great glories of the past were aliens and the 2nd scene was one of the last in the episode, when Mulder Says goodbye to Arthur Dales. such a schame that he was unable to complete his scenes. great actor, great performance.
137. Three of a Kind
guests: Signy Coleman (Susanne Modeski) Charles Rocket (Grant Ellis) John Billingsley (Timothy "Timmy the Geek" Landau) Jim Fyfe (James "Jimmy the Geek" Belmont) Michael McKean (Morris Fletcher) Tom Braidwood (Frohike) Dean Haglund (Langly) Bruce Harwood (Byers)
While on a stakeout of a Government Defence Convention in Las Vegas, The Lone Gunmen are reunited with Susanne Modeski, the mysterious woman who disappeared ten years earlier when they first met Agent Mulder.
NOTE: David Duchovny does not appear in this episode, although his voice is heard.
138. Field Trip
guests: Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Robyn Lively (Angela Schiff) David Denman (Wallace Schiff) Jim Beaver (Coroner) Tom Braidwood (Frohike) Dean Haglund (Langly) Bruce Harwood (Byers)
When two bodies are found at mountain site reduced to nothing but bone and the couple had not been missing for more than a week, Mulder suggests that recent paranormal phenomena in the area may have caused the accelerated decomposition.
NOTE: The small gray alien was played by seven year old Cody Weselis, son of X-Files stunt coordinator Danny Weselis.
Robyn Lively maybe better known to Savannah fans as Lane McKenzie, and to Twin Peaks fans as Lana Milford.139. Biogenesis (part 1)
guests: William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) Nicholas Lea (Alex Krycek) Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner) Mimi Rogers (Agent Diana Fowley) Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman (Albert Hosteen) Murray Rubinstein (Dr. Sandoz) Michael Chinyamurindi (Dr. Soloman Merkmallen) Michael Ensign (Dr. Barnes)
Two scientists confer about each of their metal objects that were found in Africa and they theorise that the objects are pieces of a puzzle which could be undeniable proof that human, plant and animal life did not originate on this planet.
When one of the scientists is killed and the objects are stolen, the agents investigate and Mulder begins to experience severe neurological pain caused by the objects.
MULDER: There's, um... no acid found in his office.
SCULLY: Hmm. Spontaneous human combustion.
MULDER: Dear Diary: Today my heart leapt when Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion.
SCULLY: Mulder, there are one or two somewhat well-documented cases. Mulder, shut up.
