Our Town (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Our Town" is the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of The X-Files
television series
. It features Mulder and Scully investigating a disappearance, leading to them discovering a small town's dark secret.
, government health inspector George Kearns follows his lover, Paula Gray, into the woods. However, Kearns soon finds himself surrounded by lights in the woods. He is killed by an axe-wielding assailant wearing a tribal
mask.
When Kearns is reported missing and a witness claims to have seen foxfire
near Dudley, Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
investigate. At the site of the alleged foxfire, the agents find the ground burnt, though Arens, the local sheriff, disclaims anything unusual occurring. After visiting Doris, Kearns' wife, the agents discover that he was about to recommend a local chicken plant, Chaco Chicken, be closed down for health violations. While giving the agents a tour of the plant, floor manager Jess Harold claims that Kearns held a vendetta against Chaco Chicken. However, a hallucinatory
Paula Gray attacks Harold and is shot by Sheriff Arens. The plant's physician, Dr. Vance Randolph, later claims that Paula was suffering from headaches, which Kearns had also reported.
Paula's grandfather is plant owner Walter Chaco, who gives the agents permission perform an autopsy
. The agents find that Paula, who appeared to be in her early 20's at the time of her death, was actually forty-seven years old. She had also suffered from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a very rare and fatal illness that causes dementia
. When the agents nearly collide with a Chaco Chicken truck, they find that the driver also suffered from the disease. Noticing the blood-red color of a nearby lake, Mulder orders a reluctant Sheriff Arens to drag it. They quickly find the bones of nine people, including Kearns. The agents notice that the skeletons are all missing their skulls, and that the bones appear to have been boiled. Meanwhile, Randolph and Harold discuss the increase of Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases, and complain about Chaco's inaction over the situation.
Using FBI
records, Mulder and Scully find that eighty-seven people have vanished within a two-hundred mile radius of Dudley over the past half-century. Mulder suspects that the town's residents are practicing cannibalism
in order to prolong life, possibly explaining Paula's youthful appearance. Mulder also realizes that Kearns originally had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and that the other residents caught the illness after consuming his body. The agents try to search the town's birth records for confirmation of Paula's age, but find that they have been destroyed. At Chaco's mansion, Chaco and Harold meet with Doris, who tearfully implies that she "helped" Chaco kill her husband; Chaco instructs her to obstruct the FBI's investigation.
Doris calls Mulder, believing that Chaco wants to kill her; after she hangs up, she is attacked by the masked figure. Scully goes to help Doris while Mulder searches for Chaco at his mansion. There, finds the shrunken heads of Kearns and other victims in a cabinet. He receives a phone call from Scully, and overhears her being knocked out and kidnapped by Chaco. Scully to a secluded field, where Harold has started a bonfire
and led to townsfolk in consuming Doris. Chaco berates them for killing one of their own, but Harold chastises him for allowing the Creutzfeldt-Jakob epidemic to occur. He has Chaco executed by the masked figure. Scully herself is about to be killed when Mulder arrives and shoots the figure; he is revealed to be Sheriff Arens. The townsfolk flee, trampling Harold to death.
In narration, Scully reveals that Chaco's plant has been closed down by the Department of Agriculture, and that twenty-seven Dudley residents have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She reveals that Chaco was ninety-three years old at the time of his death, and had spent time with the allegedly cannibalistic "Jale tribe" after his fighter plane was shot down over New Guinea
during World War II
. She also states that his remains have never been found. The final scene suggests that Chaco's remains are being fed to chickens at his plant.
's first stand alone episode for the show. Spotnitz had wanted to do an episode about cannibalism
occurring at a chicken processing plant, thinking it was one of the most despicable and vile things he could imagine. Spotnitz was inspired by the Spencer Tracy
movie Bad Day at Black Rock
, which is about a town holding a terrible secret. He was also inspired by an article he read at UCLA about salamanders getting sick from eating other salamanders; Spotnitz's brother suggested including that theme in the episode. The concept of discovering human bones that had been boiled in pots was inspired by research done for the episode "Anasazi
". Despite having trouble locating books on cannibalism, Spotniz even named the characters after real life cannibals. Chaco Chicken was based on Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
, which is where bones consumed by the Anasazi were found. Howard Gordon
came up with the idea to start the episode with a love affair between George Kearns and Paula Gray.
Of the end result, Spotnitz said "I was very pleased with the way it was executed, and I think it was a good mystery. Director Rob Bowman admitted to being tired and not inspired by the time this episode, the second to last of the season, was produced, which resulted in the episode taking extra time to finish.
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...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. It features Mulder and Scully investigating a disappearance, leading to them discovering a small town's dark secret.
Plot
In Dudley, ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, government health inspector George Kearns follows his lover, Paula Gray, into the woods. However, Kearns soon finds himself surrounded by lights in the woods. He is killed by an axe-wielding assailant wearing a tribal
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
mask.
When Kearns is reported missing and a witness claims to have seen foxfire
Foxfire (bioluminescence)
Foxfire, also sometimes referred to as "fairy fire", is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish green glow is attributed to luciferase, an oxidizing agent, which emits light as it reacts with luciferin...
near Dudley, 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...
investigate. At the site of the alleged foxfire, the agents find the ground burnt, though Arens, the local sheriff, disclaims anything unusual occurring. After visiting Doris, Kearns' wife, the agents discover that he was about to recommend a local chicken plant, Chaco Chicken, be closed down for health violations. While giving the agents a tour of the plant, floor manager Jess Harold claims that Kearns held a vendetta against Chaco Chicken. However, a hallucinatory
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
Paula Gray attacks Harold and is shot by Sheriff Arens. The plant's physician, Dr. Vance Randolph, later claims that Paula was suffering from headaches, which Kearns had also reported.
Paula's grandfather is plant owner Walter Chaco, who gives the agents permission perform an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
. The agents find that Paula, who appeared to be in her early 20's at the time of her death, was actually forty-seven years old. She had also suffered from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a very rare and fatal illness that causes dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
. When the agents nearly collide with a Chaco Chicken truck, they find that the driver also suffered from the disease. Noticing the blood-red color of a nearby lake, Mulder orders a reluctant Sheriff Arens to drag it. They quickly find the bones of nine people, including Kearns. The agents notice that the skeletons are all missing their skulls, and that the bones appear to have been boiled. Meanwhile, Randolph and Harold discuss the increase of Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases, and complain about Chaco's inaction over the situation.
Using 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...
records, Mulder and Scully find that eighty-seven people have vanished within a two-hundred mile radius of Dudley over the past half-century. Mulder suspects that the town's residents are practicing cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
in order to prolong life, possibly explaining Paula's youthful appearance. Mulder also realizes that Kearns originally had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and that the other residents caught the illness after consuming his body. The agents try to search the town's birth records for confirmation of Paula's age, but find that they have been destroyed. At Chaco's mansion, Chaco and Harold meet with Doris, who tearfully implies that she "helped" Chaco kill her husband; Chaco instructs her to obstruct the FBI's investigation.
Doris calls Mulder, believing that Chaco wants to kill her; after she hangs up, she is attacked by the masked figure. Scully goes to help Doris while Mulder searches for Chaco at his mansion. There, finds the shrunken heads of Kearns and other victims in a cabinet. He receives a phone call from Scully, and overhears her being knocked out and kidnapped by Chaco. Scully to a secluded field, where Harold has started a bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
and led to townsfolk in consuming Doris. Chaco berates them for killing one of their own, but Harold chastises him for allowing the Creutzfeldt-Jakob epidemic to occur. He has Chaco executed by the masked figure. Scully herself is about to be killed when Mulder arrives and shoots the figure; he is revealed to be Sheriff Arens. The townsfolk flee, trampling Harold to death.
In narration, Scully reveals that Chaco's plant has been closed down by the Department of Agriculture, and that twenty-seven Dudley residents have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She reveals that Chaco was ninety-three years old at the time of his death, and had spent time with the allegedly cannibalistic "Jale tribe" after his fighter plane was shot down over New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She also states that his remains have never been found. The final scene suggests that Chaco's remains are being fed to chickens at his plant.
Production
The episode was Frank SpotnitzFrank 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 first stand alone episode for the show. Spotnitz had wanted to do an episode about cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
occurring at a chicken processing plant, thinking it was one of the most despicable and vile things he could imagine. Spotnitz was inspired by the Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
movie Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man...
, which is about a town holding a terrible secret. He was also inspired by an article he read at UCLA about salamanders getting sick from eating other salamanders; Spotnitz's brother suggested including that theme in the episode. The concept of discovering human bones that had been boiled in pots was inspired by research done for the episode "Anasazi
Anasazi (The X-Files)
"Anasazi" is the twenty-fifth episode and the second season finale of The X-Files television series. "Anasazi" revolves around Mulder coming into possession of a digital tape that contains confidential government information about aliens.- Plot :...
". Despite having trouble locating books on cannibalism, Spotniz even named the characters after real life cannibals. Chaco Chicken was based on Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, which is where bones consumed by the Anasazi were found. Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
came up with the idea to start the episode with a love affair between George Kearns and Paula Gray.
Of the end result, Spotnitz said "I was very pleased with the way it was executed, and I think it was a good mystery. Director Rob Bowman admitted to being tired and not inspired by the time this episode, the second to last of the season, was produced, which resulted in the episode taking extra time to finish.