Anasazi (episode)
From X-Files Wiki
| |
| Series: | The X-Files |
| Original Airdate: | 5-19-1995 |
| Production Number: | 2X25 |
| Date(s): | April 9, 1995 |
| Written by: | David Duchovny (story), Chris Carter |
| Directed by: | R.W. Goodwin |
A computer hacker discovers evidence against the Syndicate that is so damning that its revelation to the public would be nothing short of catastrophic, leading Mulder into a race against sinister agents to learn the truth.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
At a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, a teenage boy comes across a box car buried in the ground. He carries out a corpse of an alien-like figure from within it.
In Dover, Delaware, Kenneth Soona, one of the Lone Gunmen, hacks into Department of Defense files and downloads government secrets about aliens onto a digital cassette. Immediately word of the breach echoes throughout the world. The Cigarette Smoking Man tells those concerned that he has already resolved the matter. The Lone Gunmen meet with Mulder, and tell him that Soona, also known as the Thinker, requests to meet with him. Down the hall one of Mulder's neighbors shoots her husband.
Mulder meets with Soona in the park, who gives him the digital cassette. An excited Mulder returns to FBI headquarters with it only to find that it is encrypted. Scully believes the encryption is based on the Navajo language and takes the tape in order to investigate. When Skinner calls Mulder to his office to question him on the tape, Mulder attacks him. Scully is later brought before Skinner and other senior FBI officials and is questioned on Mulder's actions. Scully is told that Mulder faces dismissal from the FBI and she faces a similar sentence if she has lied to them.
On Martha's Vineyard, the Cigarette Smoking Man comes to see Mulder's father and tells him of the theft of the tape, and that Mulder is likely in possession of it. Scully meets with a Navajo translator, who is aware of only some words on the tape, referring Scully to a code-talker instead. Mulder is called away to see his father; when Scully arrives at his apartment she is nearly killed by a bullet that flies through his window. Mulder meets with his father, who is about to tell him about everything, but is shot by Krycek when he goes to the bathroom. Mulder's father tells him to forgive him as he passes away in his arms. When Mulder contacts Scully, she tells him to flee, and when he arrives at her apartment she takes his gun from him while he sleeps.
Scully brings Mulder's gun to the FBI for comparison against the bullet that killed his father. When Mulder awakens he gets upset and suspicious of Scully. Later returning to his building, Scully finds his water being contaminated. When Mulder arrives home he finds Krycek there and is about to kill him when Scully shoots him to prevent him from doing so. Krycek escapes.
Scully brings an unconscious Mulder to New Mexico and when he awakens she reveals to him that his behavior was caused by a drug placed into his water supply. She introduces him to Albert Hosteen, a Navajo code-talker who has been translating the files on the digital tape. Scully reveals that the tape refers to both her and Duane Barry, as well as some sort of test. Albert introduces Mulder to his grandson, who drives him to where he found the boxcar containing the alien-like corpse. Just before he heads in, he is called by the Cigarette Smoking Man, who is able to trace Mulder's location through the call. Mulder heads inside the box car, finding a pile of the dead creatures, each with small pox vaccination scars on their arms. The Cigarette Smoking Man arrives with many armed soldiers and not finding Mulder inside, orders the box car to be burned.
[edit] Background Information
- Both Paul McLean (Agent Kautz) and Renae Morriseau (Josephine Doane) previously appeared in the Season 1 episode "Shapes", in which they played Dr. Josephs and Gwen Goodensnake, respectively.
- Series creator Chris Carter said of the episode's creation, "This episode was the culmination of a lot of ideas. Generally, when we pitch stories to the staff, everyone comments on them and Darin Morgan called this 'the kitchen sink episode', because it had so much in it, he didn't know how we would pull it off. But I'm very proud of the script. David Duchovny and I worked quite closely on the story and he had a lot of input, and then I sat down and wrote the script."
- To create the New Mexico rock quarry in this episode, the producers painted a quarry in Vancouver with 1,600 gallons of red paint. Series creator Chris Carter makes a cameo appearance in this episode as one of the senior FBI agents questioning Scully.
- The tagline for this episode is "Éí 'Aaníígóó 'Áhoot'é", which means "The Truth is Out There" in Navajo.
[edit] Links and References
[edit] Guest Stars
- Michael David Simms as Senior FBI Agent
- Ken Camroux as 2nd Senior Agent
- Peter Donat as William Mulder
- Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman as Albert Hosteen
- Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek
- Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike
- Dean Haglund as Richard Langly
- Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers
- William B. Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man
- Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner
- Chris Carter as 3rd Senior Agent
- Bernie Coulson as Kenneth Soona
- Aurelio Dinunzio as Antonio
- Paul McLean as Agent Kautz
- Byron Chief-Moon as Father
- Renae Morriseau as Josephine Doane
- Mitchell Davies as Stealth Man
- Dakota House as Eric Hosteen
[edit] References
SEMICOLON-SEPARATED LIST OF ITEMS/LOCATIONS REFERENCED IN EPISODE (BUT NOT LINKED TO IF ALREADY LINKED IN SUMMARY OR GUEST STARS SECTIONS)
| Previous episode: Our Town | The X-Files Season 2 | Next episode: The Blessing Way |
