"The X Files" Within (2000)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Kim Manners

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Chris Carter (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

5 November 2000 (Season 8, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

New Deputy Director Kersh has Agent John Doggett investigate the missing Mulder case. Doggett's skeptical treatment of Mulder's disappearance puts a thorn in Scully and Skinner's sides. |

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Robert Patrick	...	John Doggett
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Braidwood	...	Melvin Frohike
Jo-Ann Dean	...	Secretary
Christine Firkins	...	Thea Sprecher
Marc Gomes	...	Agent Danny Mosley
Jeff Gulka	...	Gibson Andrew Praise
Dean Haglund	...	Richard 'Ringo' Langly
Bruce Harwood	...	John Fitzgerald Byers
Sheila Larken	...	Margaret Scully (voice)
Arlene Malinowski	...	Teacher
Paul Moncrief	...	FBI Agent
Jonathan Palmer	...	Principal
James Pickens Jr.	...	FBI Deputy Director Alvin Kersh
Dondre Whitfield	...	Agent
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Agent Gene Crane
Marty Zagon	...	Mr. Coeben

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Dedication: In Memoriam -- Jim Engh 1961-2000, a member of the production crew who was electrocuted while filming a scene from a scaffold for this episode. Six other crew members were injured in the accident.

Quotes:

John Doggett: How far would Agent Mulder go?
Scully: For what?
John Doggett: For the truth.

Welcome to the X-Files, T-1000!

Within brings with it the first major cast change for the X-Files, replacing David Duchovny with Robert Patrick(of Terminator 2 fame) in the lead male role. Robert Patrick plays Agent John Doggett, who has been assigned to find the missing Agent Mulder.

Within shows that the X-files can still be a great show, even without David Duchovny playing the iconic role of Fox Mulder. It's different not seeing Fox Mulder dominate the screen for the first time in seven seasons and takes some getting used to. But once you've adjusted and accepted his absence, you can see that the X-Files is still a top-notch television series.

The show starts off with a musical piece called "Scully's Theme" composed by Mark Snow. It's a beautiful score that recurs throughout the episode. It helps to emphasize the great loss that Scully now feels with Mulder missing.

The introduction to Agent Doggett is a classic. Chris Carter doesn't want the audience to immediately fall in love with his character. He's underhanded and sneaky as he "interviews" Scully while she waits to speak with Agent Doggett, not knowing she already is. When she discovers the ruse, she promptly throws water in his face to show her disgust with him. Welcome to the x-files, Doggett.

The scenes of Mulder being experimented upon by the aliens is visually shocking and quite gross. The show had always mentioned alien abductions and experimentations, but this is our first close-up look at what goes on in those ships.

Skinner solicits the help of the Lone Gunmen to help find Mulder. I believe this is the first time that anyone other than Mulder and Scully seeks their help. It's great to see Skinner's passion for finding Mulder. He has kept his emotions in check and walked the line for so long. But he finally shows signs of the strong bond that he has developed with Mulder. He's more than a superior now, he's a friend.

The episode ends with a great cliffhanger, leaving you guessing what the heck is going on with Mulder and what the purpose of his actions are. And so begins the search for Mulder and a new era for the X-Files.