Season Six

117 THE BEGINNING 6-1

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

Picking up from the Fight the Future movie, an alien is on the loose with both Mulder and Scully and Spender and Fowley (now in charge of the X-Files)in pursuit. Gibson who can communicate with the alien escapes his captors finding M&S only to be taken again. He is taken to the alien who later morphs into a common gray after killing the captor in front of Mulder and Fowley. Historic Moment: A new supervisor is assigned to the duo, Skinner is now out of the loop. Critique: The first episode filmed in L.A. has a unique feature film look with a great link in the conspiracy chain. A-

118 DRIVE 6-2

WRITER: GILLIGAN

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

Mulder and Scully are stuck on a lame FBI detail that leads them to a possible virus that kills when its victim travels too slowly or in the wrong direction. Mulder is held hostage by a victim who as Scully discovers has contacted this condition after sound experiments were conducted near his home by the navy. Critique: Interesting concept but the tension never reaches its full potential. C+

119 TRIANGLE 6-3

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: CARTER

While searching for the Queen Anne in the Bermuda Triangle Mulder enters a time warp and is taken aboard the ship where it is 1939. Nazis take over the ship and similar to "The Wizard of Oz" he begins to see familiar faces on the ship only as other people in this other time. As the nazi's (CSM and Spender) search for Thor's hammer, Mulder tries to convince a passenger (Scully) of their position in a time warp. The Lone Gunmen enlist Scully (in present time) to find Mulder. Historic Moment: Mulder kisses Scully, unfortunately it's the 1939 Scully and when Mulder tells present day Scully he loves her she thinks it's part of his dilution. Critique: An incredible technical effort on this masterpiece of real time storytelling is not lost on this great story. A+

120 DREAMLAND 6-4

WRITER: GILLIGAN, SHIBAN, SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

Mulder and Scully finally get to Area 51 only to become a part of a tear in the space time continuum caused by a downed plane with alien technology. It leaves Mulder and an Area 51 employee, Morris Fletcher, stuck in the each others body. This employee is glad for the switch but Mulder is left trying to find a way back and to trying to convince Scully of his plight. Morris(in Mulder's body) displays abnormal behavior and Mulder(in Morris' body) pleads with Scully after he is arrested while trying to give her the flight data recorder as proof of their swap. Critique: Like a good first installment it leaves us wanting to see more.     A-

WRITER: GILLIGAN, SHIBAN, SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

Part 2.  While Mulder deals with his new wife and kids after being released from jail, Scully evades the advances of her partner realizing it's not Mulder. She forces Morris to return to Nevada to get the flight data recorder to try to fix things. The Lone Gunmen analyze the data but Scully must tell Mulder there is nothing they can do and that she has been fired. Meanwhile the tear is reversing like a rubberband returning things to normal in its path.  Historic Moment: Learning Mulder does have a bedroom, it's just been filled with junk. Critique: Michael Mckeon gives a wonderful performance as Fletcher in this entertaining complex story.     A-

122 HOW THE GHOSTS STOLE CHRISTMAS 6-8

WRITER : CARTER

DIRECTOR: CARTER

Mulder drags Scully into a haunted house on Christmas Eve to investigate the curse of 2 lovers who committed suicide on that night years before. Strange things begin happening after Mulder and Scully find their doubles buried underneath the floor. The ghost inhabitants try to turn them against one another by playing on their loneliness, then Maurice assumes Scully's identity and shots Mulder and Lida does the same as Mulder to Scully. Mulder soon realizes it is just an allusion and he and Scully escape the house and spend Christmas Eve together. Creative Casting: Ed Asner and Lilly Tomlin as the ghosts. Critique: A disturbing tale that's more like Halloween than Christmas but provides the perfect story for an X-Files Christmas. A+ (The Shrine's personal favorite episode)

123 TERMS OF ENDEARMENT    6-6

WRITER: DAVID AMANN

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

A demon appearing as a normal man tries in vain to have a normal child. His wife tells local authorities her unborn child was taken in the night by a demon and Mulder and Scully investigate. The demon man is has been killing his own children because they were demons. He leads a double life and his other wife turns out to be in search of a demon baby and has been killing her normal children. Critique: It's hard to make demons look believable especially when they are portrayed so traditionally. C

WRITER: JEFFERY BELL

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

A drought paralyzes a community and one man appears to have the power to make it rain. Mulder and Scully discover it's actually the local weatherman, Holman, who has the power. He is unable to control it and unexpected results are triggered by his unrequited love of his co-worker, Sheila, who has become enamored with Agent Mulder. Mulder convinces him to tell her his feelings but after she kisses Mulder the town nearly floods until Scully steps in and convinces Sheila she should pursue Holman. Creative Casting: Victoria Jackson returns to TV as Sheila Critique: Missed opportunity abounds in this episode, good but could have been a real classic with a little more work. B-

125 SR819 6-10

WRITER: SHIBAN

DIRECTOR: SACKHEIM

Skinner is infected with nanotechnology taken to the edge of death by Krychek who now has the ability to kill him at any time. Mulder's old contact Senator Matheson is involved with a Senate Resolution to export this technology witch is later voted down. As always Scully tracks the disease and Mulder tracks the people responsible. Critique: It's great to see Krycheck back but Skinner still can't carry an episode C

WRITER: GILLIAN

DIRECTOR: WATKINS

Scully gets a break from background checks to work on a case in New York with an overly ambitious Agent, Ritter, who just wants a conviction. The man they're tracking is a photographer, Fellig, who can predict death and photographs it to try to capture it on film. Scully is convinced he's innocent after witnessing his ability first hand. Mulder discovers, that the man can't die and is responsible for a murder a hundred years ago. The man saves Scully by dying in her place after Agent Ritter shoots Fellig and her in the process. Critique: A great harsh near death by Scully saves a bit of a slow episode. B

127 2 FATHERS 6-11

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

CSM recounts his tale of the conspiracy to Agent Fowley in hopes she will be his new ally when Spender fails him. Spender's mother returns and Mulder learns she is the first successful alien hybrid. The aliens can now start colonization. Mulder and Scully also learn CSM is Spender's father and that his name is CGB Spender, one of many alias'. Critique: Does not stand well on it's own. C

128 ONE SON 6-12

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

part 2. Scully tries to convince Mulder that Fowley is dirty and Mulder checks out Fowley's apartment. He runs into CSM who explains all about the trade of family members to the aliens to make the hybrid so the conspirators might survive. A turnover of Cassandra to the aliens is arranged but the rebels destroy all the participants including key members of the syndicate. Historic Moment: CSM kills Spender, just before he turns the x-files back over to Mulder, the conspiracy is finally explained only to raise new questions. Critique: A lot of info to cram into one episode but a great shocker ending. B-

129 AGUA MALA 6-14

WRITER: DAVID AMMAN

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

Stranded in the middle of a hurricane in Florida, Mulder and Scully seek safety in an apartment building while searching for the source of some bizarre disappearances. They find themselves in even more danger when they learn that something else has come in from the rain with them, a sea creature killed only by fresh water, but not before Scully delivers a baby and Mulder is infected. Critique: Mulder and Scully stranded always works. B

130 MONDAY 6-15

WRITER: SHIBAN/GILLIGAN

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

Mulder and Scully are unwilling victims in a bank robbery gone bad with a man with a bomb. It's a bad day for Mulder which keeps repeating itself but only one woman is aware of it and works to convince Mulder to try to prevent the tragedy which keeps killing Mulder and Scully over and over again. Critique: Kind of an overused concept but shines with the X-files treatment. B

131 ARCADIA 6-13

WRITER: DANIEL ARKIN

DIRECTOR: MICHAEL WATKINS

Mulder and Scully pose as a married couple to investigate a series of bizarre disappearances in an exclusive, gated California community. It turns out to be a trash monster brought to live with a tribal ritual perpetuated by the head of the community. Critique: The creature story is an annoying distraction from the real highlight: Mulder and Scully married, a great premise for jokes and awkward moments makes this a very likeable episode. A-

132 ALPHA 6-16

WRITER: JEFF BELL

DIRECTOR: PETER MARKLE

A breed of dog from China thought to be extinct is brought to the U.S. only to escape and begin a killing spree. Mulder is tipped off to the case by an online pen pal who has more than just dogs on her mind; it turns out the dog isn’t the only "trickster". Critique: This episode is neither scary or even romantically intriguing. It just misses the mark. C-

133 TREVOR 6-17

WRITER: JIM GUTHRIDGE/ KEN HAWRYLIW

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

A tornado through a Mississippi prison creates an inmate who can pass through solid objects. He’s on the loose and looking for his former girlfriend and son. Critique: A gruesome ending almost saves this one from mediocrity. C

134 MILAGRO 6-18

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ/SHIBAN

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

A writer develops an ability to "imagine" things into actually happening just by writing them in his novel. Unfortunately his main character rips out people’s hearts. Bad news for Scully who ends up tangling with "the Stranger" when the writer develops an obsession with her and makes her a character in his novel. Critique: Kim Manners best directing work to date helps mold this well written tale into a fascinating twisted love story. It’s always a plus to see Scully’s non-FBI side. A+

135 THE UNNATURAL 6-20

WRITER: DAVID DUCHOVNY

DIRECTOR: DUCHOVNY

Mulder visits Arthur Dales’ brother Arthur to investigate a photo from New Mexico taken during the time of the Roswell crash. Dales recounts the story of himself and a baseball player from the Negro leagues who turns out to be an alien in love with the sport. Historic Moment: David Duchovny writes this episode and makes his directing debut. Critique: A well written story on the importance of the bonds of friends, while the quality of time Mulder and Scully spend together is great, the quantity is missing. B-

136 THREE OF A KIND 6-19

WRITER: GILLIGAN/SHIBAN

DIRECTOR: BRYAN SPICER

The Lone Gunmen travel to Las Vegas to try to infiltrate a government convention and find Susan Modesky back in the employ of the government. They trick Scully into joining them to investigate Modesky's role. They soon discover she has developed a mind controlling drug which gets used on Scully. Critique: The gunmen do a wonderful job of carrying this Mulderless episode. B+

137 FIELD TRIP 6-21

WRITER: SPOTNITZ- GILLIGAN / SHIBAN (TELEPLAY)

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

Magic mushrooms send Mulder and Scully into separate trips when they investigate the deaths of 2 campers on brown mountain. While being digested in the goo of this human eating fungus Mulder hallucinates he abducts an alien and finally convinces Scully to believe.   She hallucinates Mulder dies and she toils in her decision to always believe in the simplest explanation. Critique: An original ideal creates a disturbing set of circumstances( Mulder’s death) with lots of twists and turns. B 

138 BIOGENESIS 6-22

WRITER: CARTER/ SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: BOWMAN

A mysterious artifact is at the center of a murder and disappearance. A rubbing of the artifact causes Mulder to become disoriented and eventually lands him in a metal hospital while Scully searches for truth behind this artifact but is hindered by Krycheck, Fowley and even Skinner. Critique: Intriguing yet not as well done as most two parters. C