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Herrenvolk (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Herrenvolk" is the season four premiere of The X-Files
. While Mulder
and Jeremiah Smith attempt to uncover the truth, the Syndicate realizes that they have a traitor in their midst. "Herrenvolk" means "Master Race" in German.
, Canada
, an electrical technician is working on a telephone pole when he gets stung by a bee
. Five identical boys approach the pole and watch as the technician's body adversely reacts to the sting, causing him to fall to the ground and die. The boys look down at his body, then walk off silently.
Starting when "Talitha Cumi" left off, we see Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
with Jeremiah Smith at the industrial site, being approached by the Alien Bounty Hunter. Mulder and Smith both flee through the site with Scully and the Bounty Hunter in pursuit, eventually reaching a waterfront
. Mulder gets the drop on the Bounty Hunter, and stabs him in the neck with the stiletto
weapon. Mulder and Jeremiah escape on a boat, leaving Scully alone with the seemingly dead Bounty Hunter. When she approaches his body, the Bounty Hunter wakes up and chokes her, demanding to know where Mulder and Smith are heading. He releases her after realizing she has no such knowledge.
On the boat, Mulder and Smith debate whether they should go to the hospital to save Mulder’s mother, Teena, at the risk of Syndicate Elders
and Men in Black
awaiting them. Mulder ultimately agrees that it would be too dangerous to visit Teena. Instead, they head north towards Canada, where Smith says Mulder will find his sister, Samantha. Meanwhile, at the hospital, the First Elder meets with the Smoking Man, confronting him with X's photos of him with Teena. They realize that there is an information leak, and plan to smoke it out by releasing false information about Teena being in danger.
The Bounty Hunter learns of Mulder's whereabouts when he listens in on a phone call that between him and a captive Scully; the Bounty Hunter leaves her and departs to pursue Mulder and Smith. In Washington, D.C.
, Scully reports to Assistant Director Skinner
, who informs her that the other Jeremiah Smiths have all disappeared. Scully and Agent Pendrell investigate the data that the Smiths were compiling, trying to decipher the encrypted files. Scully contacts X, who tells her that it is related to the government's long-running smallpox eradication program. X also tells her that he believes Teena's life to be in danger.
In Canada, the car Smith and Mulder are using runs out of gas. Walking the last few miles on foot, they come across the day-old corpse of the electrical technician, grossly disfigured and covered in bees. Jeremiah takes Mulder to a mysterious field of intoxicating shrubs. Mulder sees a series of children - the girls all identical to his sister at the age when she was abducted, and the boys from the beginning of the episode. Jeremiah informs Mulder that these children are drones, chattel used to tend the fields, and that they are incapable of speaking. They go to the nearby village where the children live and Jeremiah finds a gasoline can. Mulder tries to take one clone of his sister with them, but before Jeremiah can protest, a car, driven by the Alien Bounty Hunter, chases the trio.
The threesome, led by the clone, head into a secret bee hive, only to discover that they are trapped. After entering the hive in pursuit of them, the Alien Bounty Hunter is crushed by a large wall of the hive and stung repeatedly, a trap set by the trio. Scully and Pendrell report to Skinner and the Office of Professional Responsibility on the data being tracked by the Jeremiah Smiths, which appears to be a cataloging of human beings. The Alien Bounty Hunter catches up to the threesome, plowing into their car with a van, and he then knocks Mulder unconscious. Jeremiah flees, but the Alien Bounty Hunter sees him trying to escape. Mulder returns to the hospital to see his mother, resigned to the fact that he won't be able to heal her. Meanwhile, an 'X' is placed on Mulder's apartment window. When X arrives he realizes he has been led into a trap, but is shot twice by the Gray Haired Man as he heads towards the elevator. X crawls down the hallway to Mulder's apartment, writing the letters 'SRSG' in his blood before dying. The letters lead Mulder to Marita Covarrubias, the assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary General. Covarrubias tells Mulder that the fields in Canada have been abandoned, but shows him a picture of the drone children tending to the shrubs. At the hospital, the Cigarette Smoking Man directs the Alien Bounty Hunter to heal Mulder's mother, telling him that the fiercest enemy is the one with nothing to lose.
, this time as a clone of her from when she was still a little girl, was used in the episode due to Chris Carter
's desire to bring her back as an important element of the show, referring to her as being part of the lifeblood of the series. The decision to kill the character X was made at the end of the third season
. The writers felt that they could only do so much with the character and decided that they would either make him a bigger player on the show, or have him pay the price for collaborating with Fox Mulder
. Ultimately they decided on the latter. This led to the introduction of Marita Covarrubias at the end of the episode, Mulder's latest informant.
The scenes with the farms and bees were filmed near the town of Kamloops, which is approximately a three-and-a-half hour drive from Vancouver
. The hair, makeup and wardrobe truck ended up getting lost while driving there. A fiberglass composite lattice used by the aircraft industry was used to create the honeycombs that the Alien Bounty Hunter chased Mulder through. The episode title comes from the German word for "Master Race". The tagline for this episode is "Everything Dies" instead of the usual "The Truth is Out There". This phrase is stated by the Bounty Hunter to Mulder during the episode.
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. While Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Jeremiah Smith attempt to uncover the truth, the Syndicate realizes that they have a traitor in their midst. "Herrenvolk" means "Master Race" in German.
Plot
In rural AlbertaAlberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, an electrical technician is working on a telephone pole when he gets stung by a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
. Five identical boys approach the pole and watch as the technician's body adversely reacts to the sting, causing him to fall to the ground and die. The boys look down at his body, then walk off silently.
Starting when "Talitha Cumi" left off, we see Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
with Jeremiah Smith at the industrial site, being approached by the Alien Bounty Hunter. Mulder and Smith both flee through the site with Scully and the Bounty Hunter in pursuit, eventually reaching a waterfront
Waterfront
-In music:*Waterfront , a 1980s British pop duo*Waterfront Records, an Australian record label*"Waterfront" , by Simple Minds*Waterfront Blues Festival, in Portland, Oregon-In film and television:*Waterfront , directed by William A...
. Mulder gets the drop on the Bounty Hunter, and stabs him in the neck with the stiletto
Stiletto
A stiletto is a knife or dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, intended primarily as a stabbing weapon. The stiletto blade's narrow cross-section and acuminated tip reduces friction upon entry, allowing the blade to penetrate deeply...
weapon. Mulder and Jeremiah escape on a boat, leaving Scully alone with the seemingly dead Bounty Hunter. When she approaches his body, the Bounty Hunter wakes up and chokes her, demanding to know where Mulder and Smith are heading. He releases her after realizing she has no such knowledge.
On the boat, Mulder and Smith debate whether they should go to the hospital to save Mulder’s mother, Teena, at the risk of Syndicate Elders
Syndicate (The X-Files)
The Syndicate is a fictional "shadow government" group featured in The X-Files television show and feature film created by Chris Carter. They were also known as The Elders, The Consortium, and The Group...
and Men in Black
Men in Black (The X-Files)
In The X-Files television show, the Men in Black refer, unofficially, to a group of enforcers employed by the Syndicate to execute assassinations, cover ups and other covert operations. It is implied that most, if not all, of them are former members of special operations units...
awaiting them. Mulder ultimately agrees that it would be too dangerous to visit Teena. Instead, they head north towards Canada, where Smith says Mulder will find his sister, Samantha. Meanwhile, at the hospital, the First Elder meets with the Smoking Man, confronting him with X's photos of him with Teena. They realize that there is an information leak, and plan to smoke it out by releasing false information about Teena being in danger.
The Bounty Hunter learns of Mulder's whereabouts when he listens in on a phone call that between him and a captive Scully; the Bounty Hunter leaves her and departs to pursue Mulder and Smith. In Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Scully reports to Assistant Director Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character in the American FOX television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence...
, who informs her that the other Jeremiah Smiths have all disappeared. Scully and Agent Pendrell investigate the data that the Smiths were compiling, trying to decipher the encrypted files. Scully contacts X, who tells her that it is related to the government's long-running smallpox eradication program. X also tells her that he believes Teena's life to be in danger.
In Canada, the car Smith and Mulder are using runs out of gas. Walking the last few miles on foot, they come across the day-old corpse of the electrical technician, grossly disfigured and covered in bees. Jeremiah takes Mulder to a mysterious field of intoxicating shrubs. Mulder sees a series of children - the girls all identical to his sister at the age when she was abducted, and the boys from the beginning of the episode. Jeremiah informs Mulder that these children are drones, chattel used to tend the fields, and that they are incapable of speaking. They go to the nearby village where the children live and Jeremiah finds a gasoline can. Mulder tries to take one clone of his sister with them, but before Jeremiah can protest, a car, driven by the Alien Bounty Hunter, chases the trio.
The threesome, led by the clone, head into a secret bee hive, only to discover that they are trapped. After entering the hive in pursuit of them, the Alien Bounty Hunter is crushed by a large wall of the hive and stung repeatedly, a trap set by the trio. Scully and Pendrell report to Skinner and the Office of Professional Responsibility on the data being tracked by the Jeremiah Smiths, which appears to be a cataloging of human beings. The Alien Bounty Hunter catches up to the threesome, plowing into their car with a van, and he then knocks Mulder unconscious. Jeremiah flees, but the Alien Bounty Hunter sees him trying to escape. Mulder returns to the hospital to see his mother, resigned to the fact that he won't be able to heal her. Meanwhile, an 'X' is placed on Mulder's apartment window. When X arrives he realizes he has been led into a trap, but is shot twice by the Gray Haired Man as he heads towards the elevator. X crawls down the hallway to Mulder's apartment, writing the letters 'SRSG' in his blood before dying. The letters lead Mulder to Marita Covarrubias, the assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary General. Covarrubias tells Mulder that the fields in Canada have been abandoned, but shows him a picture of the drone children tending to the shrubs. At the hospital, the Cigarette Smoking Man directs the Alien Bounty Hunter to heal Mulder's mother, telling him that the fiercest enemy is the one with nothing to lose.
Production
The appearance of Samantha MulderSamantha Mulder
Samantha Ann Mulder is a fictional character in the television series The X-Files. She is the sister of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and the daughter of Teena and Bill Mulder. As a child, Samantha was abducted, ostensibly by aliens, and was never recovered...
, this time as a clone of her from when she was still a little girl, was used in the episode due to Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
's desire to bring her back as an important element of the show, referring to her as being part of the lifeblood of the series. The decision to kill the character X was made at the end of the third season
The X-Files (season 3)
Season three of the television show The X-Files ran from 1995–1996.Chris Carter, the series creator, was still the lead writer - writing eight episodes - and the sole executive producer. Glen Morgan and James Wong continued their roles as co-executive producers, though they began to write...
. The writers felt that they could only do so much with the character and decided that they would either make him a bigger player on the show, or have him pay the price for collaborating with Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
. Ultimately they decided on the latter. This led to the introduction of Marita Covarrubias at the end of the episode, Mulder's latest informant.
The scenes with the farms and bees were filmed near the town of Kamloops, which is approximately a three-and-a-half hour drive from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The hair, makeup and wardrobe truck ended up getting lost while driving there. A fiberglass composite lattice used by the aircraft industry was used to create the honeycombs that the Alien Bounty Hunter chased Mulder through. The episode title comes from the German word for "Master Race". The tagline for this episode is "Everything Dies" instead of the usual "The Truth is Out There". This phrase is stated by the Bounty Hunter to Mulder during the episode.
Reception
On its original airing on October 4, 1996, this episode had a Nielsen rating of 13.2, and a share of 23. 21.11 million viewers watched this episode, making it the fourth most watched episode of the season. It was also the first episode of The X-Files to be watched by more than 20 million people.External links
- Herrenvolk at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...