Monica Reyes
Encyclopedia
Special Agent
Monica Reyes (icon) 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. With her FBI partner John Jay Doggett
they work in the X-Files
office, which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were left unsolved and shelved by the FBI. Mulder considers the X-Files
the truth behind the supposed conspiracy. Portrayed by American
actor Annabeth Gish
, Reyes was a main character in the last season
of The X-Files. Reyes replaced Gillian Anderson
's character Dana Scully
in the X-Files office. Reyes appeared in the opening credits and every episode of the ninth
season.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agent Reyes made her first appearance in the eighth season
2001 episode "This Is Not Happening
". Reyes is religious and a highly spiritual
person, and has little doubt about the paranormal
. She is willing to accept explanations involving the paranormal. Reyes is a combination of the different members of The X-Files teams: She is not a full believer, like Mulder, nor a scientific mind, like Dana Scully
, or a full skeptic, like Doggett, but voices concern and opinions about all three areas.
, Mexico
, where her parents still live. Because of growing up in Mexico
, Reyes speaks fluent Spanish
. She majored in folklore
and mythology
at Brown University
, and has a Masters degree in Religious Studies. In 1990, Reyes enrolled to the FBI at Quantico, Virginia
. Her first assignment in the FBI was serving on a special taskforce investigating Satanic
rituals. Reyes then served in the New York City
field office, where she became romantically involved with Special Agent
Brad Follmer
despite the FBI's strict anti-fraternization rules. Reyes was the head investigator in the kidnapping of 7 year-old Luke Doggett, son of NYPD officer John Doggett
. The boy was eventually found dead, but no suspect was ever apprehended. In 1999, Monica Reyes transferred to the New Orleans field office.
In 2001, Reyes was contacted by Doggett, now a Special Agent assigned to The X-Files, to assist in on a case involving the disappearances of several individuals who claimed to be alien abductees, as well as the disappearance of Special Agent Fox Mulder
. Because of her background, Reyes considered that these believers may have simply formed something of a cult, but did not rule out the possibility of alien intervention. She stayed with the case until after Mulder was returned by his abductors, but returned to her field office soon after.
She later contacted Agent Mulder, who was back to full health at the time, involving a case she suspected had some link to the murder of Doggett's son, who assisted her with the case. However, as before, she soon returned to her own work. Reyes remained with the New Orleans field office until she was called upon to protect Special Agent Dana Scully
in May 2001, driving her out to a remote location in Georgia so that the expectant Scully might deliver her child out of harm's way. Reyes helped deliver the child, and soon after made a permanent move, becoming Doggett's partner on The X-Files.
Doggett and Reyes were last seen in the New Mexico desert in 2002, where they were warning Agents Mulder and Scully of the arrival of Knowle Rohrer, a Super Soldier linked to the government conspiracy
. They were fleeing the scene as black helicopters destroyed the Anazasi adobes where the Cigarette Smoking Man
was living. They are most likely still with the FBI, however The X-Files was closed after Walter Skinner
's and Alvin Kersh
's involvements in Mulder's escape were revealed. As of 2008, The X-Files remained closed, and Reyes' current status is unknown.
television series and try to appeal to a new generation of viewers, the production personnel knew, from the beginning of season 8
, that they were going to introduce another female character who would be a believer, as Mulder had been a believer. However, the writers wanted a different kind of believer character to work off of the skeptical nature of John Doggett
, who had already been established. The writers were required to create a character who was unlike any of the preconceived main characters that were a part of the series. This female character was initially named Karen Miller and then Jane Jones before the name "Monica Reyes" was decided upon, named after a friend of Chris Carter
's acquaintance who had an art gallery in Vancouver
, and later did all the artwork for Fox Mulder
's office in the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe
.
The character was considered by some to be like Mulder in her optimism, faith and enjoyment of being open to beliefs but considered by others as being quite different from Mulder as she was more spiritual and subscribed to a more New Age-like view than he did. Reyes was seen as different from both Mulder and the other main characters as she was somewhat more neurotic, scattered, and quirky. She smiled and laughed more than the other characters, having a nature that could be considered lighter, sunnier, brighter, warmer and more overtly sexy. Some also considered her to be more paranormally attuned than the average person.
The character of Brad Follmer
was created in season 9
to provide a love interest for Reyes, as the writers believed the audience needed to know more about her. However, Follmer's unresolved relationship with Reyes also served to heighten the conflict between Doggett and Follmer, as both men had feelings for her. Portraying actress Annabeth Gish was pleased that the relationship between her character and Scully was similar to that of two sisters, rather than Reyes serving as an antagonist to Scully.
The Season 9 episode "Hellbound
", in which Reyes discovers that she was apparently reincarnated, began as an effort to give Reyes or Doggett a drive, as they were seen, by at least some writers, as the successors to Mulder and Scully. According to the writer of the episode, David Amann, executive producer Frank Spotnitz
was interested in giving Reyes some darkness to play and her past life was consequently written with extremely sombre and terrible overtunes.
Season 8
Season 9
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
Monica Reyes (icon) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the American 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...
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...
, a 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...
show about a government conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. With her FBI partner John Jay 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...
they work in the X-Files
X-file
On the television series The X-Files, an X-File is a fictional case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The files constitute an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream that is more or less concerned with unexplained phenomena. -First X-Files:The very...
office, which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were left unsolved and shelved by the FBI. Mulder considers the X-Files
X-file
On the television series The X-Files, an X-File is a fictional case that has been deemed unsolvable by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The files constitute an unassigned project outside the Bureau mainstream that is more or less concerned with unexplained phenomena. -First X-Files:The very...
the truth behind the supposed conspiracy. Portrayed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor 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...
, Reyes was a main character in the last 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...
of The X-Files. Reyes replaced 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...
's character 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...
in the X-Files office. Reyes appeared in the opening credits and every episode of the ninth
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...
season.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) agent Reyes made her first appearance in the eighth season
The X-Files (season 8)
The eighth season of The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 5, 2000, concluded on May 20, 2001, and consisted of twenty-one episodes. The X-Files is an American serial science fiction-horror-thriller television series. Season eight took place after Fox Mulder's alien...
2001 episode "This Is Not Happening
This Is Not Happening
"This Is Not Happening" is the 175th episode and the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on February 25, 2001 on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom...
". Reyes is religious and a highly spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
person, and has little doubt about the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
. She is willing to accept explanations involving the paranormal. Reyes is a combination of the different members of The X-Files teams: She is not a full believer, like Mulder, nor a scientific mind, like 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...
, or a full skeptic, like Doggett, but voices concern and opinions about all three areas.
Character arc
Monica Reyes was born and raised in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, 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...
, where her parents still live. Because of growing up 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...
, Reyes speaks fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. She majored in folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, and has a Masters degree in Religious Studies. In 1990, Reyes enrolled to the FBI at Quantico, Virginia
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...
. Her first assignment in the FBI was serving on a special taskforce investigating Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
rituals. Reyes then served in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
field office, where she became romantically involved with Special Agent
Special agent
Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
Brad Follmer
Brad Follmer
FBI Assistant Director Brad D. Follmer 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 Alien existence. Follmer was introduced during the last season of the show, as an ex-lover to main...
despite the FBI's strict anti-fraternization rules. Reyes was the head investigator in the kidnapping of 7 year-old Luke Doggett, son of NYPD officer 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...
. The boy was eventually found dead, but no suspect was ever apprehended. In 1999, Monica Reyes transferred to the New Orleans field office.
In 2001, Reyes was contacted by Doggett, now a Special Agent assigned to The X-Files, to assist in on a case involving the disappearances of several individuals who claimed to be alien abductees, as well as the disappearance of Special Agent 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...
. Because of her background, Reyes considered that these believers may have simply formed something of a cult, but did not rule out the possibility of alien intervention. She stayed with the case until after Mulder was returned by his abductors, but returned to her field office soon after.
She later contacted Agent Mulder, who was back to full health at the time, involving a case she suspected had some link to the murder of Doggett's son, who assisted her with the case. However, as before, she soon returned to her own work. Reyes remained with the New Orleans field office until she was called upon to protect Special Agent 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...
in May 2001, driving her out to a remote location in Georgia so that the expectant Scully might deliver her child out of harm's way. Reyes helped deliver the child, and soon after made a permanent move, becoming Doggett's partner on The X-Files.
Doggett and Reyes were last seen in the New Mexico desert in 2002, where they were warning Agents Mulder and Scully of the arrival of Knowle Rohrer, a Super Soldier linked to the government conspiracy
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...
. They were fleeing the scene as black helicopters destroyed the Anazasi adobes where the Cigarette Smoking Man
Cigarette Smoking Man
The Smoking Man is a fictional character and the antagonist on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. Although his name is revealed to purportedly be C.G.B...
was living. They are most likely still with the FBI, however The X-Files was closed after 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...
's and 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...
's involvements in Mulder's escape were revealed. As of 2008, The X-Files remained closed, and Reyes' current status is unknown.
Conceptual history
Due to their decision to continue The X-FilesThe 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...
television series and try to appeal to a new generation of viewers, the production personnel knew, from the beginning of season 8
The X-Files (season 8)
The eighth season of The X-Files commenced airing in the United States on November 5, 2000, concluded on May 20, 2001, and consisted of twenty-one episodes. The X-Files is an American serial science fiction-horror-thriller television series. Season eight took place after Fox Mulder's alien...
, that they were going to introduce another female character who would be a believer, as Mulder had been a believer. However, the writers wanted a different kind of believer character to work off of the skeptical nature of 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...
, who had already been established. The writers were required to create a character who was unlike any of the preconceived main characters that were a part of the series. This female character was initially named Karen Miller and then Jane Jones before the name "Monica Reyes" was decided upon, named after a friend of 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 acquaintance who had an art gallery in 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,...
, and later did all the artwork for 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 office in the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a 2008 science fiction-thriller directed by Chris Carter and written by both Carter and Frank Spotnitz. It is the second feature film based on The X-Files franchise created by Carter, following the 1998 film...
.
The character was considered by some to be like Mulder in her optimism, faith and enjoyment of being open to beliefs but considered by others as being quite different from Mulder as she was more spiritual and subscribed to a more New Age-like view than he did. Reyes was seen as different from both Mulder and the other main characters as she was somewhat more neurotic, scattered, and quirky. She smiled and laughed more than the other characters, having a nature that could be considered lighter, sunnier, brighter, warmer and more overtly sexy. Some also considered her to be more paranormally attuned than the average person.
The character of Brad Follmer
Brad Follmer
FBI Assistant Director Brad D. Follmer 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 Alien existence. Follmer was introduced during the last season of the show, as an ex-lover to main...
was created in season 9
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...
to provide a love interest for Reyes, as the writers believed the audience needed to know more about her. However, Follmer's unresolved relationship with Reyes also served to heighten the conflict between Doggett and Follmer, as both men had feelings for her. Portraying actress Annabeth Gish was pleased that the relationship between her character and Scully was similar to that of two sisters, rather than Reyes serving as an antagonist to Scully.
The Season 9 episode "Hellbound
Hellbound
-Track listing:#"Trace of Doubt"#"Hellbound"#"Tabletop Show"#"The Living End"#"Strange"#"Headlines"#"Mispent Youth"#"So Lonely"#"Do What I Do" - Notes :...
", in which Reyes discovers that she was apparently reincarnated, began as an effort to give Reyes or Doggett a drive, as they were seen, by at least some writers, as the successors to Mulder and Scully. According to the writer of the episode, David Amann, executive producer 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:...
was interested in giving Reyes some darkness to play and her past life was consequently written with extremely sombre and terrible overtunes.
Reception
Monica Reyes appears in the following episodes:Season 8
- "This Is Not HappeningThis Is Not Happening"This Is Not Happening" is the 175th episode and the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on February 25, 2001 on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom...
" - "Empedocles"
- "Essence"
- "ExistenceExistence (The X-Files)"Existence " is the 181st episode and the eighth season finale of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on May 20, 2001 on Fox, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer Chris Carter, and directed by...
"
Season 9
- All episodes
External links
- Monica Reyes at The X-Files Wiki