We open the pilot with a girl in a night dress running through the woods. She tumbles down a hill, and at the bottom, she looks up and sees a dark figure. There's an intense white light showing up behind the figure (who appears to be a man) and he approaches as the wind kicks up. More than that, the wind seems to cyclone around him, the leaves swirling intensely. The woman looks up as he stands over her, and we see his figure looks almost like he's a being of static. An intense light from above shines down on them before the light floods the screen.
We see the woman the next day, face down on the ground. Text in the corner tells us this location is the Collum National Forest in Northwest Oregon. We can hear the voices of investigators as they search the crime scene. They talk about what they've found, which isn't much. They've ruled out sexual assault or battery. She has two circular puffy red marks on the back of her right hip. They roll the woman over. The Sheriff identifies her as Karen Swenson, a girl who used to go to school with his son. One of the men with him, a photographer, asks him if Karen and his son were a part of the class of '89. The sheriff doesn't answer, and the photographer shouts after him, "It's happening again, isn't it!"
I can't imagine what it must have been like to have seen this for the first time on television. Sure, I've watched plenty of 80s and 90s programming, but thinking back on the level of production X-Files brought in this gripping intro, it really must have been like a bomb going off. It wasn't that TV shows back then had "poor quality". But they looked and sounded like they belonged to TV. But the X-Files premiere? It was a new breed of beast, and it ushered in an era of TV that many viewers and creators today owe thanks to.
The X-Files aimed to bring cinematic quality to television. It was always Chris Carter's hope to do a film series, but since his ideas weren't something studios were going to go for, he opted to prove their viability via television. His original vision saw the X-Files doing five seasons before doing the full switch to film. Instead what happened was a staggering nine seasons were made, stretching out the main plot. These nine seasons are what fans now call the "original" series. Later, in 2016, Chris Carter managed to convince Dana Walden and Gary Newman, CEOs of Fox Television Group who he'd maintained a good relationship with since 1993, to revive the series. With his leads returning, that's when we got the sometimes celebrated, sometimes heavily criticized "revival series", which consists of seasons 10 and 11.
I've watched all of the original series, and half of the revival series. I've seen both films. It's been several years now, and I'm ready to return to this strange, beautiful, haunting, and (at-times) frustrating show. Partly because I'm just in the mood for it, but also partly in preparation for what will (hopefully) be a new series by Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler. The idea of having a more diverse X-Files with a young cast that reflects the hopes, fears, and challenges of this generation certainly sounds exciting. It isn't as if there aren't enough conspiracies for us to focus on. I really hope it doesn't solely focus on aliens, though. If the recent memes about Millenials and Gen Z's apathy toward Congress hearing about extraterrestrials are any indication, we may just be over that. But monsters, magic, ghosts, and other-dimensional beings? Certainly not. It was always the opinion of me and my friends that the X-Files shined best when it was focusing on its "Monster of the Week." Freeing the series to explore a broader range of ideas would certainly be a welcome change, and the kind needed, I think, for a reboot.
Anyway, I'm supposed to be talking about the pilot, aren't I? Well, after that banger intro, we cut to Dana Scully arriving at the FBI Headquarters in Washington DC. One of the first things I notice are all these FBI agents with shut off computers. Look, I know this was in the early 90s, but wtf ya'll doing with all this (presumably) expensive equipment just sitting around turned off? Anyway, Scully arrives at an office for someone who looks important. I say that because when I tried to read the plaque on the door, I couldn't make out the words. Believe me, I tried. Inside the office, the gentleman at the desk doesn't have a placard set up either. But we get the impression that he's someone who calls the shots. There's two other fellows with him. One of them is smoking a cigarette and leaning on a file cabinet. The camera lingers on him.
Gee, I wonder if he's important?
When Scully sits down they begin talking, and we learn that she finished medical school, but rather than work at a hospital she chose to join the FBI two years ago (in 1991). When asked for the reason for going this route, she explains that she saw the FBI as a way of distinguishing herself, though her parents apparently did not approve. Very quickly she's asked if she knows an agent named Fox Mulder. Scully is clearly thrown off by the question, but she answers readily and professionally that Mulder is an Oxford-educated psychologist who wrote a monograph on serial killers and the occult that helped to catch a criminal named Monty Propps in 1988. She also informs us that he's considered the best analyst in the violent crime section. It was a clear and concise answer for an unexpected question.
This is basically Scully in a nutshell. She's intelligent, well-spoken, rational, calm, and professional. She's still a bit green though, and we can see that when she fidgets a little upon admitting Mulder had a nickname at the academy. "Spooky Mulder."
These rookie agents really need to up their roast game, this is bottom-tier shit talk.
Scully is informed that Mulder has been engrossed in an "unassigned project" titled the X-Files. These are a collection of cases that involve unexplained phenomena. She's told she's going to assist Mulder with his work. She asks outright, "Am I to understand that you want me to debunk the X-Files project, sir?" The look on her face is subtle but we can see she's hardly thrilled. And why would she be? Another thing about Scully... She's still a kind and good-hearted person. The idea of having such a confrontational assignment must've been daunting.
Thankfully, her superior answers, "Agent Scully, we trust you'll make the proper scientific analysis."
I'm sure the line wasn't altruistic, but rather, a pragmatic one. If they want her to debunk Mulder's work, it has to seem legitimate. If she's tasked with proving him wrong, it risks exposing that they have an agenda. The thing is, this also gives Scully room to work both cooperatively with Mulder and to also assess things without bias, which is critical for her. She's a scientist, and she wants to maintain her work's integrity. In this way, she is a kind of truth-seeker.
So where are the X-Files?
In the basement.
When Scully makes her way down the dark narrow hallway and knocks on the door to the X-Files room, we hear Mulder's first line of the series:
"Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted."
Ah...Mulder. You're such a treat.
Scully enters the file room, which Mulder has essentially turned into his personal office. The walls are covered in photographs of crop circles, UFOs, forensic shots of skeletons, and of course, the iconic I WANT TO BELIEVE poster. Mulder looks up as Scully stops near him. He was looking at what appear to be small slides on a desktop light projector. Young Duchovny was certainly a handsome bloke. I can understand why the ladies simped after him!
Scully is quite pleasant and friendly when introducing herself, but Mulder is not so warm. He lets her know right off the bat that he's aware she's been sent to keep an eye on him. When Scully tries to assure him she's not only without ulterior motive, but qualified to boot, he cuts her off by rattling off details he's already dug up on her. Here we learn some more about Scully: she TEACHES at the academy and did her undergraduate degree in physics. Pretty impressive considering she hasn't been with the FBI very long! She did a paper titled, "Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New Interpretation". Mulder's sarcasm takes a small dig at her confidence in re-examining Einstein's work. She coolly asks him if he even bothered to read it, to which he replied that he did. He admits that he liked it, but he quickly follows this with, "It's just in most of my work, the laws of physics rarely seem to apply."
Not the smoothest of first meetings, but we know our pair will get to a better place.
After this exchange, Mulder launches into getting Scully up to speed on the Karen Swenson case in Oregon. When asking Scully about the strange marks found on the victim, Mulder challenges her to identify them. She tries her level best. Needle marks? Animal Bites? Electrocution? But then Mulder shares that in the surrounding tissue around the marks, an unknown substance was discovered. He shows her (what I think is called) a chemical SMILE (or "simplified molecular-input line-entry", used for describing chemical structures) Scully identifies it as organic, but admits she doesn't really know. She asks Mulder if it's a synthetic protein. Mulder replies, "Beats me, I've never seen it before either," before going on to share that the strange marks were found on other deceased victims in Sturgis, South Dakota and Shamrock, Texas.
Scully asks if he has a theory. Mulder says, "I have plenty of theories. But maybe what you can explain to me is why it's bureau policy to label these cases 'unexplained phenomena' and ignore them."
Then, arguably one of the most quoted and audio clipped part of the ENTIRE show takes place. Mulder leans in and asks in a faux whisper, "Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?"
"Logically, I would have to say no, given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a space craft's capabilities," Scully flatly replies.
And basically this will be a repeated dynamic throughout much of the series. Mulder says some far-out thing, Scully then responds with hyper-logic and conventional wisdom. Ah yes, the fun begins!
Mulder tells Scully to meet him tomorrow bright and early, because they're heading to Oregon. And here, after Mulder has turned away to resume his preliminary work, we see Scully take a moment to gaze at him...and then she smiles. It matters because, for the most part, Scully is such a serious and focused person that we don't get to see her smile as much in the show. She's the piercing ice to Mulder's smoldering fire, and it's what makes their relationship so entertaining.
One thing I did NOT get the first time I watched this series was how so many people could ship these two SO HARD. I gotta say, I was a NoRomo, the fandom's term for describing fans who didn't see and/or desire a romantic relationship between Mulder and Scully. I don't recall seeing all that much romantic chemistry between them, and at best what I observed was a more brotherly/sisterly bond between the two. I even recall Chris Carter saying at one time that he had no plans on making Mulder and Scully a couple on screen. Of course, that later changed.
Now, however... Mmmm, that moment could be the first real spark there! I'm surprised I missed it before. Keep in mind, though, if you're watching X-Files and expecting it to be like Castle or Bones...uh...you'll be sorely disappointed. This is NOT that kinda show. Chris Carter was more interested in the drama and intrigue of the supernatural mysteries Mulder and Scully confronted, not in getting to any kind of climactic steamy kiss. Most fans had to content themselves with fan fiction and fan art. Of which there were plenty of back in the day!
Anyway, from here, I'm gonna loosen up on the exact play-by-play on the events to give my general impression of the remainder of the episode. Why? Partly to spare myself the work, but also to encourage anyone who HASN'T seen the series to just go watch it. I realize odds are low that a new viewer would be reading this, but I'd like to keep this fairly spoiler free. As I (hopefully) do more of these, I'll assume that certain details are known and speak more freely about already covered ground, but I'll try to put spoiler tags on unavoidable talking points that might ruin it for newcomers who have yet to see that particular episode. If you're still worried about it, my one best recommendation is to just watch the dang episode before reading my retrospectives.
I really enjoyed the mystery put forth by the pilot, and I think that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny had alot of chemistry on the screen. My memory of Scully was, admittedly, of someone colder than what she was in this pilot. She seems warmer, and rather friendly, all things considered. Mulder wasn't quite as I remembered him, either. I knew he was a wisecracker, but I didn't remember him being quite so bitter and (honestly) a little mean. It makes sense, though, considering how he's been struggling against unseen forces for so long. His paranoia has him questioning everyone and everything. An important thing to note, though, is that this is the pilot episode. One thing I learned in my creative writing degree program: The pilot episode does not have to follow the exact format and style of the subsequent series. It is just the thing that is shopped around to get more episodes purchased by a network, and that can take time. Hell, central actors can even be changed, like in New Girl! After the show is greenlit, the creators are free to tweak the show however they'd like. We'll see how Scully and Mulder shape up as this first season continues and their characters mature. Maybe my memory isn't so far off.
The further we got into the episode, the more "shipping" moments I saw. I was kind of floored how I could have possibly missed these. Now I understand how people shipped Mulder and Scully so much! There was one ridiculous moment where Scully strips almost naked and asks Mulder to check if she has the same red marks as the victims. I was really surprised by how vulnerable she was, and it just further went against the grain of what I remembered her being like. Not that I dislike this. I like seeing Scully being nuanced and human. She's not a damn robot, she can have feelings, too!
I did chuckle at the reference to possible Satanic worship. This show aired in the wake of the Satanic Panic of the 80s.
At the end of the episode, I don't think it's really spoilers to say (or rather, it shouldn't be, even if you haven't watched the show) that Scully doesn't return a field report that outright says Mulder is a crazy nutjob out wasting FBI resources or something. In fact, her superiors seem annoyed with her lack of a solid conclusion about what she's seen or witnessed. She does manage to produce a single piece of physical evidence. The metallic nose implant found in one of the victims. She explains that she already ran a test on it, but the material could not be identified. The look on her face and the tone in her voice as she hands it in was pretty great. Kind of along the lines of, "I'm too damn smart to show up here empty-handed, you geezers in suits. Try insinuating my work is sub-par again."
...Okay, I'm REALLY reading into things there, but doesn't it hold a note of smug triumph?
Near the end of the episode we see Scully up late in bed, a haunted expression on her face. (she really feels like the main character in this pilot, though I don't know if that's the case for most of the series) Mulder calls. He says that he spoke to the DA's office in Raymond county, Oregon. There is no case file on Billy Miles anymore. All the paperwork they filed is gone. Mulder says they need to meet up and talk. Scully agrees, her voice catching just ever so slightly. "Tomorrow," she says. Without another word, she slowly hangs up and lays back down, but she just continues to stare.
This appears to be the first time that Scully has ever encountered something as inexplicable as what she went through. The subsequent loss of files seems to suggest something larger is at work. She went into the case certain that she'd find answers of some kind. But on the other side of it... She just has more questions. Of course she can't sleep!
The last scene of the pilot episode shows the smoking man we'd witnessed when Scully was speaking with her superiors. He's walking through what appears to be a warehouse filled with small inventory boxes. He stops at a box and pulls out a clear case with several identical metallic nasal implants. He pulls out of his pocket the implant Scully had turned over as evidence of what had happened. He adds it to the case, returns it to the box and walks away. He exits through a door and shuts it behind him. The camera zooms in on a sign that says, "IN CASE OF FIRE EMERGENCY - KNOW YOUR EXITS - PENTAGON - EVACUATION PROCEDURE."
I gotta say, that's a pretty damn good, pilot! I'm really excited to rewatch the series again. I hope you found this retrospective insightful and entertaining! Hopefully, I'll have more out soon!
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