Never Again (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Never Again" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the television series The X-Files
.
. At work the next day, Ed hears a woman calling him a "loser"; he has a violent confrontation with a female co-worker -- who denies saying anything -- and is subsequently subdued.
In Washington
, Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
conduct a discreet meeting with a Russian informant, Vsevlod Pudovkin, who claims to have seen a UFO at a secret research center. Upon returning to FBI
headquarters, Mulder heads out on vacation, leaving Scully to follow up on the Pudovkin case for him. Scully is uninterested in the case and expresses serious doubts about Pudovkin's credibility, leading to an argument with an inconsiderate Mulder. Scully becomes upset over the direction her life and career are going.
At his home Ed is called by his boss and is fired. He hears the same voice as before, and yells at the woman living below him, thinking it was her. Upon hearing the voice after a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses
stop by, Ed goes downstairs and murders his neighbor, throwing her body in the furnace. The voice talks to him again and he realizes it's coming from his new tattoo. Scully heads to Philadelphia where she watched Pudovkin enter a tattoo parlor. Scully heads inside where she sees Ed arguing with the owner, wanting the tattoo to be removed. Ed strikes up a conversation with Scully and invites her out to dinner, to which she replies she has other business to take care of. That night Scully talks to Mulder, who is in Graceland, telling him that Pudovkin is a con man and part of the Russian mafia. Scully calls Jerse and tells him that she changed her mind. The two head to a nearby lounge but she is concerned about Ed's arm, where he has burned the tattoo with a cigarette butt. Ed convinces Scully to get a tattoo, and she has one of an Ouroboros applied to her back.
That night Scully stays at Ed's apartment. The tattoo is angry at him, saying she'll be dead if he kisses her, which he does anyway. The next morning two detectives arrive at the apartment after Ed has gone out, who tell Scully that Ed's neighbor is missing and blood was found in her apartment with an unusual chemical substance in it. Scully researches the material on Ed's laptop and tries to call Mulder at the FBI headquarters but hangs up before Mulder has a chance to answer. When Ed arrives Scully tells him that they found blood in his neighbor's apartment and that it was likely his. She thinks that the chemical came from the tattoo ink and wants them both to head to the hospital to be tested. Ed tells Scully about the voice he's been hearing from his tattoo. As Scully heads to the other room to get ready, her FBI badge falls out of her coat pocket. Scully discreetly picks it back up without Ed noticing. Then, the tattoo begins to talk again, convincing Ed to redial Scully's last call to see who she was speaking to. An FBI operator answers and, upon learning that Scully is a FBI agent, the tattoo forces Ed to attack Scully. Scully tries to escape but is overpowered by Ed, who binds her in a bedsheet and carries her down to the basement to throw her in the furnace. At the last moment Ed is able to overpower the impulses of the tattoo and instead thrusts his own arm into the furnace.
Scully returns to Washington and is congratulated by Mulder for being the first person to make a second X-File appearance. Ed was brought to a burn center in Philadelphia where the chemicals (ergot) were found in his blood, also in Scully's blood but not enough to cause hallucinations. Mulder wonders if this all happened because of their earlier argument, to which Scully replies that not everything is about him.
, the only time in Glen Morgan's tenure on the show where a scene of his was removed by Carter. The episode was the final episode that Morgan and partner James Wong wrote for the show, as they took over as executive producers of Millennium
shortly after.
Quentin Tarantino
was originally intended to direct this episode, but was stopped from doing so by the Directors Guild of America
. Although the episode was written specifically for Tarantino to direct, the DGA complained that Tarantino (who is not a member) failed to pay the union for lost income as a result of his work on ER
as a director.
Rodney Rowland was a former cast member of Glen Morgan and James Wong's series Space: Above and Beyond
. He and Anderson dated for a period of time after this episode. Jodie Foster
provided the voice for Ed's tattoo, Betty. Foster was a close friend of casting agent Randy Stone and Gillian Anderson.
In the opening bar scene, the song playing in the background is "Tattooed Love Boys" by The Pretenders
. In a later bar scene with character Ed Jerse, the song on the jukebox is "The Have Nots" performed by the LA punk rock band X (from Under the Big Black Sun
). The Fight the Future soundtrack features a cover of "Crystal Ship" recorded by X.
The tattoos used in the episode were decals designed by art department staffer Kristina Lyne and altered by makeup artist Laverne Basham. The Bettie Page tattoo was inspired by "Brooklyn Joe" Lieber, a tattoo artist from San Francisco. During the episode, Scully received a tattoo of an Ouroboros
—a depiction of a serpent coiled into a circle devouring its own tail. This emblem is the logo for the television series Millennium
and the fictional group after which the program is named.
Gillian Anderson said of this episode showing a different side of Scully, "I thought it was a great idea. I personally was going through a dark period at the time, and I wanted to explore Scully's dark side. For some reason, Glen and Jim were on the same wavelength that week. Afterward, a lot of people told me that on that episode I was so 'unlike' Scully or that 'it showed my range'. I told them I thought they were wrong. I don't think that what I did here was out of character for Scully. The only thing different is that the audience hadn't seen it before." The episode's air date was flipped with the episode, "Leonard Betts", in order to ensure that the latter episode, which featured the show's two stars in their traditional roles, aired after the Super Bowl
. Anderson has said that she would have played the part differently had she been aware of this at the time, as Scully discovers she has cancer at the end of "Leonard Betts".
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...
.
Plot
In Philadelphia, Ed Jerse loses a divorce settlement to his ex-wife, who has sole custody of his child. After getting drunk at a local bar, Ed wanders into a tattoo parlor and impulsively receives a tattoo depicting Bettie PageBettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...
. At work the next day, Ed hears a woman calling him a "loser"; he has a violent confrontation with a female co-worker -- who denies saying anything -- and is subsequently subdued.
In Washington
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....
, Agents 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...
conduct a discreet meeting with a Russian informant, Vsevlod Pudovkin, who claims to have seen a UFO at a secret research center. Upon returning to FBI
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...
headquarters, Mulder heads out on vacation, leaving Scully to follow up on the Pudovkin case for him. Scully is uninterested in the case and expresses serious doubts about Pudovkin's credibility, leading to an argument with an inconsiderate Mulder. Scully becomes upset over the direction her life and career are going.
At his home Ed is called by his boss and is fired. He hears the same voice as before, and yells at the woman living below him, thinking it was her. Upon hearing the voice after a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
stop by, Ed goes downstairs and murders his neighbor, throwing her body in the furnace. The voice talks to him again and he realizes it's coming from his new tattoo. Scully heads to Philadelphia where she watched Pudovkin enter a tattoo parlor. Scully heads inside where she sees Ed arguing with the owner, wanting the tattoo to be removed. Ed strikes up a conversation with Scully and invites her out to dinner, to which she replies she has other business to take care of. That night Scully talks to Mulder, who is in Graceland, telling him that Pudovkin is a con man and part of the Russian mafia. Scully calls Jerse and tells him that she changed her mind. The two head to a nearby lounge but she is concerned about Ed's arm, where he has burned the tattoo with a cigarette butt. Ed convinces Scully to get a tattoo, and she has one of an Ouroboros applied to her back.
That night Scully stays at Ed's apartment. The tattoo is angry at him, saying she'll be dead if he kisses her, which he does anyway. The next morning two detectives arrive at the apartment after Ed has gone out, who tell Scully that Ed's neighbor is missing and blood was found in her apartment with an unusual chemical substance in it. Scully researches the material on Ed's laptop and tries to call Mulder at the FBI headquarters but hangs up before Mulder has a chance to answer. When Ed arrives Scully tells him that they found blood in his neighbor's apartment and that it was likely his. She thinks that the chemical came from the tattoo ink and wants them both to head to the hospital to be tested. Ed tells Scully about the voice he's been hearing from his tattoo. As Scully heads to the other room to get ready, her FBI badge falls out of her coat pocket. Scully discreetly picks it back up without Ed noticing. Then, the tattoo begins to talk again, convincing Ed to redial Scully's last call to see who she was speaking to. An FBI operator answers and, upon learning that Scully is a FBI agent, the tattoo forces Ed to attack Scully. Scully tries to escape but is overpowered by Ed, who binds her in a bedsheet and carries her down to the basement to throw her in the furnace. At the last moment Ed is able to overpower the impulses of the tattoo and instead thrusts his own arm into the furnace.
Scully returns to Washington and is congratulated by Mulder for being the first person to make a second X-File appearance. Ed was brought to a burn center in Philadelphia where the chemicals (ergot) were found in his blood, also in Scully's blood but not enough to cause hallucinations. Mulder wonders if this all happened because of their earlier argument, to which Scully replies that not everything is about him.
Production
A scene where Scully enjoyed a passionate night with Jerse was removed from the script by series creator Chris CarterChris 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 :...
, the only time in Glen Morgan's tenure on the show where a scene of his was removed by Carter. The episode was the final episode that Morgan and partner James Wong wrote for the show, as they took over as executive producers of Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
shortly after.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
was originally intended to direct this episode, but was stopped from doing so by the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
. Although the episode was written specifically for Tarantino to direct, the DGA complained that Tarantino (who is not a member) failed to pay the union for lost income as a result of his work on ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as a director.
Rodney Rowland was a former cast member of Glen Morgan and James Wong's series Space: Above and Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond was a short-lived mid-90s American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn...
. He and Anderson dated for a period of time after this episode. Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
provided the voice for Ed's tattoo, Betty. Foster was a close friend of casting agent Randy Stone and Gillian Anderson.
In the opening bar scene, the song playing in the background is "Tattooed Love Boys" by The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
. In a later bar scene with character Ed Jerse, the song on the jukebox is "The Have Nots" performed by the LA punk rock band X (from Under the Big Black Sun
Under the Big Black Sun
Under the Big Black Sun is the third album by the American punk band X, and their major-label debut. It was released on Elektra Records in 1982, and reissued on Rhino Records in 2001 with bonus tracks.-Track listing:...
). The Fight the Future soundtrack features a cover of "Crystal Ship" recorded by X.
The tattoos used in the episode were decals designed by art department staffer Kristina Lyne and altered by makeup artist Laverne Basham. The Bettie Page tattoo was inspired by "Brooklyn Joe" Lieber, a tattoo artist from San Francisco. During the episode, Scully received a tattoo of an Ouroboros
Ouroboros
The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The name originates from within Greek language; οὐρά meaning "tail" and βόρος meaning "eating", thus "he who eats the tail"....
—a depiction of a serpent coiled into a circle devouring its own tail. This emblem is the logo for the television series Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
and the fictional group after which the program is named.
Gillian Anderson said of this episode showing a different side of Scully, "I thought it was a great idea. I personally was going through a dark period at the time, and I wanted to explore Scully's dark side. For some reason, Glen and Jim were on the same wavelength that week. Afterward, a lot of people told me that on that episode I was so 'unlike' Scully or that 'it showed my range'. I told them I thought they were wrong. I don't think that what I did here was out of character for Scully. The only thing different is that the audience hadn't seen it before." The episode's air date was flipped with the episode, "Leonard Betts", in order to ensure that the latter episode, which featured the show's two stars in their traditional roles, aired after the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. Anderson has said that she would have played the part differently had she been aware of this at the time, as Scully discovers she has cancer at the end of "Leonard Betts".
Reception
This episode earned a Nielson rating of 13.0, with a 19 share. A total of 21.36 million households watched this episode during its original airing.External links
- Never Again 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...