The Beginning (The X-Files)
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"The Beginning" is the first episode of the sixth season of the
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
television series ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
''. It premiered on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
in the United States on November 8, 1998. The episode was written by Chris Carter, and directed by
Kim Manners Kim Manners (January 13, 1951 – January 25, 2009) was an American television producer, director and actor best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and ''Supernatural''. Early life Kim Manners was raised in a show business family. His fathe ...
. It helps explore the series' overarching
mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
. "The Beginning" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.9, being watched by 20.34 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. The show centers on
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
special agents
Fox Mulder Fox William Mulder () is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterrest ...
(
David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as write ...
) and
Dana Scully Dana Katherine Scully, MD, is a fictional character and one of the two Protagonist, protagonists in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox science-fiction, supernatural fiction, supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by Gillian Anders ...
(
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called
X-File In the fictional universe of the television series ''The X-Files'', an "X-File" is a case that has been deemed unsolvable or given minimal-priority status by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; these files are transferred to the X-Files unit. The ...
s. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In the episode, Mulder and Scully eagerly hunt for a deadly creature in the Arizona desert. What they find seems to support Mulder's revived belief in aliens, but is discredited when the agents are not reassigned to the now re-opened X-Files, with
Jeffrey Spender FBI Special agent Jeffrey Frank Spender is a fictional character in the American Fox television series ''The X-Files'', a science fiction show about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of alien existence. Spender (along with his ...
( Chris Owens) and
Diana Fowley The following is a list of characters on ''The X-Files'', an American science fiction television series first broadcast in September 1993 and followed by two feature films: ''The X-Files (film), The X-Files'' and ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe. ...
(
Mimi Rogers Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are ''Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), ''Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the grea ...
) taking over instead. "The Beginning" was the first episode of the series to not be filmed in Vancouver, Canada, after production was moved to Los Angeles at the behest of lead actor David Duchovny. The episode follows directly from ''The X-Files'' feature film (1998). The writers sought to bring back characters, such as Spender, Fowley, and
Gibson Praise The following is a list of characters on ''The X-Files'', an American science fiction television series first broadcast in September 1993 and followed by two feature films: ''The X-Files'' and '' The X-Files: I Want to Believe.'' These characters ...
(Jeff Gulka) who had not been featured in the movie, but had played a pivotal role in the show's fifth season.


Plot

In
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, a scientist working for Roush Technologies is exposed to the black oil alien-virus; an alien gestates and bursts from his body the next morning. A few hours after his death, a co-worker who arrives at his house is attacked and killed by the newborn alien. In
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Agent
Fox Mulder Fox William Mulder () is a fictional FBI Special Agent and one of the two protagonists of the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by David Duchovny. Mulder's peers dismiss his many theories on extraterrest ...
appears before an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
panel regarding his experiences in Antarctica. Meanwhile,
the Smoking Man The Cigarette Smoking Man (abbreviated CSM or C-Man; sometimes referred to as Cancer Man or the Smoking Man) is a fictional character and one of the primary antagonists of the American science fiction drama television series ''The X-Files''. He s ...
(
William B. Davis William Bruce Davis (born January 13, 1938) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as the Cigarette Smoking Man on ''The X-Files''. Besides appearing in many TV programs and movies, he founded his own acting school, the William Davis Ce ...
) reports to the
Syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French language, Frenc ...
on the alien in Phoenix, confident that he'll be able to kill it. Assistant Director
Walter Skinner FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Mitch Pileggi on ''The X-Files'' and its short-lived spin-off ''The Lone Gunmen'', both broadcast on Fox. In the science fiction-supernatural se ...
tells Mulder, who is working on restoring the burned
X-File In the fictional universe of the television series ''The X-Files'', an "X-File" is a case that has been deemed unsolvable or given minimal-priority status by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; these files are transferred to the X-Files unit. The ...
s, that he and Scully have been denied reassignment on the X-Files, but that Mulder should seek out a folder left on the desk in his old office. Mulder goes there, only to discover that
Jeffrey Spender FBI Special agent Jeffrey Frank Spender is a fictional character in the American Fox television series ''The X-Files'', a science fiction show about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of alien existence. Spender (along with his ...
and
Diana Fowley The following is a list of characters on ''The X-Files'', an American science fiction television series first broadcast in September 1993 and followed by two feature films: ''The X-Files (film), The X-Files'' and ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe. ...
have been assigned to the X-Files. Feeling betrayed by Fowley, Mulder leaves, but not before stealthily taking the folder with him. The Smoking Man seeks
Gibson Praise The following is a list of characters on ''The X-Files'', an American science fiction television series first broadcast in September 1993 and followed by two feature films: ''The X-Files'' and '' The X-Files: I Want to Believe.'' These characters ...
, who is undergoing brain surgery at that very moment. Mulder and Scully head to the home where the alien gestated, finding an alien's nail in the wall. The Smoking Man arrives soon after with Gibson, who tells him that the alien is no longer there. At a
nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...
, the alien kills another person, but Mulder and Scully are denied access by Spender and Fowley. Upon returning to their car they find Gibson inside, who has escaped from the Smoking Man. Later that night, Fowley tells Mulder she was offered the X-Files and is protecting his interests. Mulder leaves Gibson with Scully and heads off with her. Mulder and Fowley believe the alien is seeking heat, which is why it is at the power plant. Inside they find organic material on the ground and cooling pipes. Scully brings Gibson to a hospital, where it is determined that he has the alien virus in his blood. The Black-Haired Man (Scott Eberlein) kidnaps him soon after and brings him to the power plant. They find the alien, who attacks the Black-Haired Man but not Gibson, as witnessed by Mulder from outside a locked door. Afterward, Mulder and Scully are ordered to not associate with the X-Files and are reassigned under Assistant Director
Alvin Kersh Alvin D. Kersh is a fictional character in the Fox science fiction television series ''The X-Files'', played by James Pickens Jr. He serves as a figure of authority within the series, first introduced as an Assistant Director of the Federal Bure ...
. Spender is visited by the Smoking Man in his office. Mulder continues to work on restoring the X-Files, and is told by Scully that Fowley's report does not reflect what really happened. Scully reveals that the alien virus DNA is also part of all human DNA, but in Gibson the DNA is active. Meanwhile, at the power plant, Gibson is trapped inside with the alien, which sheds its skin inside a
spent fuel pool Spent fuel pools (SFP) are storage pools (or "ponds" in the United Kingdom) for spent fuel from nuclear reactors. They are typically 40 or more feet (12 m) deep, with the bottom 14 feet (4.3 m) equipped with storage racks designed to hold f ...
, revealing the traditional grey alien form.Meisler, pp. 11–18


Production


Pre-production

"The Beginning" was the first episode of the series to be filmed in Los Angeles, California. The move was instigated by
David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as write ...
, who portrayed Mulder, in order to increase his opportunity to find movie work as well as to give him a chance to be nearer to his wife,
Téa Leoni Téa Leoni (; born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; February 25, 1966) is an American actress. In her early career, she starred in the television sitcoms '' Flying Blind'' (1992–93) and ''The Naked Truth'' (1995–98). Her breakthrough role was in t ...
. Series creator Chris Carter opposed the move; others, like series director
Kim Manners Kim Manners (January 13, 1951 – January 25, 2009) was an American television producer, director and actor best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and ''Supernatural''. Early life Kim Manners was raised in a show business family. His fathe ...
and
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
supported the move but were less vocal than Duchovny. Fox network officials eventually made the decision to film in California.Hurwitz and Knowles, pp. 155–156 According to Andy Meisler, "The very first shot of the season a long look directly into a bright sun shining on a barren desert was designed to boldly announce the show's arrival in Southern California." As a result of the move, the episode featured a largely new group of crew members, hired by Carter,
Frank Spotnitz Frank Charles Spotnitz is an American television screenwriter and executive producer, best known for his work on ''The X-Files'' and ''The Man in the High Castle''. Spotnitz is also the chief executive officer and founder of Big Light Production ...
and new co-executive producer Michael Watkins; this necessitated the show's new crewmembers spending five weeks, receiving, unpacking, and cataloging filming material from their Vancouver counterparts. Because of the shift from Vancouver to Los Angeles, some fans of the series were alienated. Many accused the show of "Hollywood-izing" the series by adding notable guest stars as well as making the plots simpler and more enjoyable for larger audiences. According to
Space.com Space.com is an online publication focused on space exploration, astronomy, skywatching and entertainment, with editorial teams based in the United States and United Kingdom. The website offers live coverage of space missions, astronomical discov ...
, a number of fans of the show specifically loved "the moody ambiance filming around Vancouver lent the series uring seasons 1–5, which the sixth season reportedly lacked.


Writing and filming

Spotnitz said that the hardest part about writing "The Beginning" was the task of not only segueing from a movie but also tying the story into the previous season finale. To accomplish this delicate task, the writers brought back characters like Gibson Praise, Diana Fowley and Jeffrey Spender (none of whom were in the film), as well as those that had been introduced in the film, like the
alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
. Carter claims to have thought of the episode's rough plot almost two years prior, when he was developing the plot of ''The X-Files'' movie.Meisler, p. 18 The character Sandy, who is killed in the teaser sequence, was played by the show's casting director Rick Millikan at the request of Carter. Millikan later joked that he spent most of the shoot on the phone casting others for future ''X-Files'' episodes.Meisler, p. 19 One of the nuclear power plant workers is named Homer, a reference to
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
, one of the main characters from the animated Fox
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. The scenes in an Arizona suburb were filmed in
Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California. This area, with major commercial and industrial parks, straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River. Development projects continue to be built in ...
, because the producers wanted "something really ''
Edward Scissorhands ''Edward Scissorhands'' is a 1990 American fantasy romance film directed by Tim Burton. It was produced by Burton and Denise Di Novi, written by Caroline Thompson from a story by her and Burton, and starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Anthony Mi ...
''." The scenes set in the nuclear power plant were filmed in a
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
-based building owned by the electricity supply company
Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 15 million people with electricity across a service territory of app ...
. Due to a heat wave, many of the scenes were filmed "in temperatures well above one hundred degrees", and some lines had to be re-recorded in the studio due to excessive background noise. The scenes of the alien molting in the power plant's spent fuel pool were filmed in a tank of water located in
Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...
that was frequently used by the producers of the show ''
Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...
''. Filming the plant scenes proved to be troublesome, and many shots needed to be filmed multiple times due to prop and set issues. These problems persisted into
post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...
, and some scenes were not finalized until the end of October—nearly two months after principal filming ended.


Broadcast and reception

"The Beginning" first aired in the United States on November 8, 1998. The episode earned a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 11.9, with a 17 share, meaning that roughly 11.9 percent of all television-equipped households, and 17 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 20.34 million viewers and was the second highest rated episode of the sixth season.Meisler, p. 294 The episode aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on
Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
on March 7, 1999, and received 1.08 million viewers, making it the second most watched episode that week. Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "The new beginning." The episode was later included on ''
The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization ''The X-Files Mythology – Volume 3'' collection is the third DVD release containing selected episodes from the fifth to the eighth seasons of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. The episodes collected in the releas ...
'', a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien
Colonist A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...
's plans to take over the earth. Critical reception to the episode was divided, as reviews ranged from largely positive to negative. In the book ''The End and the Beginning: The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol. 5'', author Andy Meisler wrote that some fans and critics responded positively to "The Beginning," most notably because the episode functioned as "a particularly artful and effective way to launch the series's new season—and era." Tom Kessenich, in his book ''Examination: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6–9 of the X-Files'' wrote positively of the episode, saying The Beginning' was a pretty good premiere episode. I was quite pleased to see how Chris Carter took last season's finale and the movie and tied things together to get Season 6 off to a fresh start."Kessenich, p. 13 Emily VanDerWerff from ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave it a B. She praised the performance of Chris Owens, saying that he was "acting the shit out of Spender". Despite this, however she called the episode "lackluster" and wrote that it "isn’t a great episode of the show, but it works well enough". VanDerWerff's main issue with the entry was that it chose to wrap up the plot thread left dangling with the fifth-season finale, but did little to expand upon the revelations of the series' feature film. VanDerWerff also criticized the fact that Scully was, once again, a skeptic of the paranormal after all she saw. Not all reviews were positive, however.
Robert Shearman Robert Charles Shearman, sometimes credited as Rob Shearman, is an English television, radio, stage play and short story writer. He is known for his World Fantasy Award-winning short stories, as well as his work for ''Doctor Who'', and his asso ...
and
Lars Pearson Lars Pearson (born 1973, in Iowa) is an American writer, high school teacher, editor, and journalist. He is the owner/publisher of Mad Norwegian Press, a publishing company specializing in reference guides to television shows including ''Buffy th ...
, in their book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', rated the episode one star out of five, writing that The Beginning' opens witty enough €¦and then offers the viewer no substance. It's a better season opener than ' Redux' €¦but it's still very poor."Shearman and Pearson, pp. 167–168 Paula Vitaris from ''
Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor ...
'' gave the episode a largely negative review and awarded it one-and-a-half stars out of four. She derided the episode's plot, saying that the episode was "another mile down the ''X-Files'' Road of Mythology. Monster aliens? This is something out of a schlocky pulp novel with the science of the show dissolved into complete technobabble".


Footnotes


Bibliography

* * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beginning, The 1998 American television episodes Television episodes written by Chris Carter Television episodes set in Arizona Television episodes set in New York (state) The X-Files (season 6) episodes Television episodes set in hospitals