When the episode ends, it’s terrifying to see what happens. At this point in the show, two seasons in, the characters have become more fully developed and a genuine emotional bond had been forged between the characters and the audience, and “Duane Berry” solidified that bond by showing us just how much we care about what happens to them. Written as a need to do something with Gillian Anderson, who had become pregnant, and keep her off the show for a while until she gave birth, this episode works regardless of that need.
Is Duane Berry a psychotic pathological liar, or is he telling the truth? The first part of a two-part episode, this one plays a delicate balancing act with the real world and the supernatural, showing what may or may not be the truth.
He’s an unhinged man, and played fantastically by Steve Railsback, inspired in part by the real life story of Phineas Gage. X-Files showrunner Chris Carter both wrote and directed “Duane Berry,” the tragic story of a man haunted by frequent alien abductions that have taken a toll on her emotional and physical health. Season 2, Episode 5 – Written and directed by Chris Cater What follows next in this episode has a beautiful power play dynamic not unlike the one between Clarice and Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs. When Scully’s father dies, her world is turned upside down. The two agents are investigating a prisoner on death row who claims to have psychic powers.
We also get to see a bit of Mulder’s past and his own character traits subverted when he himself is unusually skeptical of anything regarding the supernatural, falling back on his past experience as a serial killer profiler for the FBI. Creating an episode specifically to explore the past of a character can be a tricky venture, diverting slightly from the themes set forth in the episodes that preceded it, but challenging one of Agent Scully’s foremost character traits (her skepticism for pretty much all things that Mulder believes) hit gold. Writing duo Glen Morgan and James Wong, once again under the direction of David Nutter, craft another one of the best season one episodes, introducing and fully fleshing out the world of the X-Files for its audience. Season 1, Episode 13 – Directed by David Nutter Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong The first season had its problems-as all first seasons do-but this is not one of them.
It has the look and feel of an undiscovered gem of a movie and is one of the first season’s very best episodes. “Ice” works as an homage to the original and the remake of the film The Thing, and it’s good stuff. Stranded in a snowy outpost, with nowhere to go, Agents Mulder and Scully must not only contend with being completely isolated from all communication from the outside world, but with parasitic worms that enter the hosts and control their very way of thinking. The pilot, and episodes between then and “Ice” had toyed with greatness and came so, so very close, but this episode was the first one that showed what The X-Files was capable of. “Ice” was, to me, the first truly, utterly scary episode of The X-Files. Season 1, Episode 8 – Directed by David Nutter Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong
It featured both a stunning overarching series plot that wove throughout its run and standalone episodes that could be viewed as short movies, featuring recurring characters that had the ability to scare the hell out of audiences-but somehow, also, had time to make us laugh, too.Ĭoming soon, The X-Files is coming back for six more episodes! For anyone unfamiliar with the series, or for anyone looking for a refresher course, these ten episodes are some of their absolute best and are a great place to start. The X-Files is one of the most vastly influential television shows of all time.