John Doe (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"John Doe" is the 189th episode and the seventh episode of the ninth season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on January 13, 2002 on Fox
, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan
, and directed by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren.
"John Doe" follows Monica Reyes
(Annabeth Gish
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) struggling to locate John Doggett
(Robert Patrick
) after he wakes up in Mexico with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The episode earned a low Nielsen household and syndication ratings compared to other episodes that season, and generally a mixed reception from fans and critics alike.
(Robert Patrick
) awakens inside an abandoned warehouse only to discover a crack addict in the process of removing one of his shoes. Doggett chases the man outside, where the man summons two Mexican police officers and claims he was the victim of a mugging. One of the policemen hits the crack addict with their nightstick and the other demands papers (visa or passport) from Doggett. When Doggett realizes he has no papers, the policeman asks him what his name is. Doggett then realises that he does not know his own name. Doggett is than transported to jail where he meets a fellow prisoner named Domingo. Domingo is freed and asks Doggett if he wants to join him, but he can only join if he helps Domingo perform his criminal tasks; Doggett agrees and follows him.
But once Doggett is out, he refuses to perform Domingo’s task. Nestor, Domingo's friend, pulls out a gun, but Doggett quickly overpowers him and takes away the weapon. Doggett then returns to the abandoned warehouse in hopes of finding clues to his identity. In the meantime, at the FBI, Walter Skinner
(Mitch Pileggi
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) examine video footage from a security camera positioned at the Mexican border. When finding out of this, Alvin Kersh
disbands the taskforce hunting for Doggett, as he believes the photo is proof that Doggett entered Mexico on his own and was not abducted.
In an FBI field office in Texas, Monica Reyes
(Annabeth Gish
) interviews Mr. Molina, a Mexican drug trafficker with whom Doggett most likely interviewed around the time of his disappearance. But Molina and his lawyer refuse to cooperate with the investigation. Back in Mexico, Doggett phones a United States Marine public affairs office hoping his Marine tattoo will shed some light on his true identity. But before being able to ask any questions, Doggett notices some Mexican policemen nearby and quickly escapes.
Scully, meanwhile, receives word of Doggett’s call to the Marines. She then arranges to have the call traced. She phones up Reyes that Doggett is in Mexico. Reyes then travels to the local town where Doggett was last seen. She eventually finds Doggett and, together with Skinner and the Mexican police, she is able to help him bring his memory back.
and directed by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren. The episode marked Gilligan's first solo episode for the ninth season
. He had fiddled with the story of a "memory vampire" for months, before writing it. The idea to set the story in Mexico
and center it around Robert Patrick
's character was Frank Spotnitz
's. From there the story "went together fairly easily."
The Director of Photography Bill Roe decided to do various tests before filming. The crew ended up shooting "exteriors three, four stops over what you should shoot it at." Roe and his crew had a hard time developing the various lighting contrasts for the episode. When talking about the episode, Roe said: "it was really dark so we had this huge contrast of lighting. It was dark and warm and brown. When you go inside, you can barely see things, but when you're outside, it's just blaring."
When creating the Mexican hotel apartment, the crew re-decorated what was once Fox Mulder
's (David Duchovny
) apartment on the show. Production Designer
Corey Kaplan said of the development of the episode that, "It was very creative and very rewarding for us as an art department, to create the complete total look of being in another culture."
of 5.0, with a 7 share. It was viewed by 5.275 million households and gathered a total of 8.700 million viewers in the United States
alone.
The X-Files (season 9)
The ninth season of The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 11, 2001, concluded on May 19, 2002, and consists of twenty episodes. The X-Files is an American serial science fiction-horror-thriller television series. Season nine took place after Fox Mulder's leave after the...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
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...
. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on January 13, 2002 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan is an American writer, director and producer. He is the creator of the highly acclaimed television series Breaking Bad. Gilligan has also worked on the hit series The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. He is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...
, and directed by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren.
"John Doe" follows Monica Reyes
Monica Reyes
Special Agent Monica Reyes 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...
(Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish is an American actress known for starring roles in Shag, Mystic Pizza and Double Jeopardy. She is best known for her roles as Special Agent Monica Reyes on The X-Files, Elizabeth Bartlet Westin on The West Wing and as Eileen Caffee on the Showtime drama Brotherhood.-Personal...
) 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...
(Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) struggling to locate John Doggett
John Doggett
FBI Special agent John Jay Doggett 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...
(Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
) after he wakes up in Mexico with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The episode earned a low Nielsen household and syndication ratings compared to other episodes that season, and generally a mixed reception from fans and critics alike.
Plot summary
John DoggettJohn Doggett
FBI Special agent John Jay Doggett 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...
(Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
) awakens inside an abandoned warehouse only to discover a crack addict in the process of removing one of his shoes. Doggett chases the man outside, where the man summons two Mexican police officers and claims he was the victim of a mugging. One of the policemen hits the crack addict with their nightstick and the other demands papers (visa or passport) from Doggett. When Doggett realizes he has no papers, the policeman asks him what his name is. Doggett then realises that he does not know his own name. Doggett is than transported to jail where he meets a fellow prisoner named Domingo. Domingo is freed and asks Doggett if he wants to join him, but he can only join if he helps Domingo perform his criminal tasks; Doggett agrees and follows him.
But once Doggett is out, he refuses to perform Domingo’s task. Nestor, Domingo's friend, pulls out a gun, but Doggett quickly overpowers him and takes away the weapon. Doggett then returns to the abandoned warehouse in hopes of finding clues to his identity. In the meantime, at the FBI, Walter 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...
(Mitch Pileggi
Mitch Pileggi
Mitchell Craig "Mitch" Pileggi is an American actor. Pileggi is known for playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner on the long-running popular series The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Stargate Atlantis as Col. Steven Caldwell...
) 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...
(Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) examine video footage from a security camera positioned at the Mexican border. When finding out of this, Alvin Kersh
Alvin Kersh
Alvin D. Kersh is a fictional character in the American Fox television series The X-Files, a science fiction series about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of extraterrestrial existence...
disbands the taskforce hunting for Doggett, as he believes the photo is proof that Doggett entered Mexico on his own and was not abducted.
In an FBI field office in Texas, Monica Reyes
Monica Reyes
Special Agent Monica Reyes 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...
(Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish
Annabeth Gish is an American actress known for starring roles in Shag, Mystic Pizza and Double Jeopardy. She is best known for her roles as Special Agent Monica Reyes on The X-Files, Elizabeth Bartlet Westin on The West Wing and as Eileen Caffee on the Showtime drama Brotherhood.-Personal...
) interviews Mr. Molina, a Mexican drug trafficker with whom Doggett most likely interviewed around the time of his disappearance. But Molina and his lawyer refuse to cooperate with the investigation. Back in Mexico, Doggett phones a United States Marine public affairs office hoping his Marine tattoo will shed some light on his true identity. But before being able to ask any questions, Doggett notices some Mexican policemen nearby and quickly escapes.
Scully, meanwhile, receives word of Doggett’s call to the Marines. She then arranges to have the call traced. She phones up Reyes that Doggett is in Mexico. Reyes then travels to the local town where Doggett was last seen. She eventually finds Doggett and, together with Skinner and the Mexican police, she is able to help him bring his memory back.
Production
"John Doe" was written by Vince GilliganVince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan is an American writer, director and producer. He is the creator of the highly acclaimed television series Breaking Bad. Gilligan has also worked on the hit series The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. He is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...
and directed by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren. The episode marked Gilligan's first solo episode for the ninth season
The X-Files (season 9)
The ninth season of The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 11, 2001, concluded on May 19, 2002, and consists of twenty episodes. The X-Files is an American serial science fiction-horror-thriller television series. Season nine took place after Fox Mulder's leave after the...
. He had fiddled with the story of a "memory vampire" for months, before writing it. The idea to set the story in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and center it around Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
's character was Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
's. From there the story "went together fairly easily."
The Director of Photography Bill Roe decided to do various tests before filming. The crew ended up shooting "exteriors three, four stops over what you should shoot it at." Roe and his crew had a hard time developing the various lighting contrasts for the episode. When talking about the episode, Roe said: "it was really dark so we had this huge contrast of lighting. It was dark and warm and brown. When you go inside, you can barely see things, but when you're outside, it's just blaring."
When creating the Mexican hotel apartment, the crew re-decorated what was once 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...
's (David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) apartment on the show. Production Designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
Corey Kaplan said of the development of the episode that, "It was very creative and very rewarding for us as an art department, to create the complete total look of being in another culture."
Reception
"John Doe" earned a Nielsen household ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 5.0, with a 7 share. It was viewed by 5.275 million households and gathered a total of 8.700 million viewers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alone.