The Beginning (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"The Beginning" is the first episode of the sixth season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. "The Beginning", which was the first episode of the series to be filmed in Los Angeles, features an alien loose in the Phoenix, Arizona area.
, given that, in this episode, there are introductory scenes from the movie.
Before the movie, the previous episode is from the previous season, i.e., "The End"
from season 5
.
alien-virus and an alien gestates and bursts from his body the next day.
In Washington, D.C.
, Agent Fox Mulder
appears before an FBI
panel regarding his experiences in Antarctica
. Meanwhile, the Smoking Man reports to the Syndicate
on the alien in Phoenix, confident that he'll be able to kill it. Assistant Director Walter Skinner tells Mulder, who is working on restoring the burned X-Files, that Mulder and Scully have been denied reassignment on the X-Files, but that Mulder should seek out a folder left on the desk in his old office. Mulder goes there, only to discover that Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley have been assigned to the X-Files. Feeling betrayed by Fowley, Mulder leaves, but not before stealthily taking the folder with him.
The Cigarette Smoking Man goes to get Gibson Praise, who is undergoing brain surgery at that very moment. Mulder and Scully head to the home where the alien gestated, finding an alien's nail in the wall. The Cigarette Smoking Man arrives soon after with Gibson, who tells him that the alien is no longer there. At the nuclear power plant, the alien kills another person, but Mulder and Scully are denied access by Spender and Fowley. Upon returning to their car they find Gibson inside, who has escaped from the Cigarette Smoking Man. Later that night, Fowley tells Mulder she was offered the X-Files and is protecting his interest. Mulder leaves Gibson with Scully and heads off with her. Mulder and Fowley believe the alien is seeking heat which is why it's in the nuclear power plant. Inside they find organic material on the ground and cooling pipes.
Scully brings Gibson to the hospital, where it is determined that he has the alien virus in his blood. The Black-Haired Man kidnaps him soon after, and brings him to the power plant. They find the alien, who attacks the Black-Haired Man but not Gibson, as witnessed by Mulder from outside the locked door. Mulder and Scully are ordered to not associate with the X-Files and are re-assigned under Assistant Director Kersh. Spender is visited by the Cigarette Smoking Man in his office. Mulder continues to work on restoring the X-Files, and is told by Scully that Fowley's report doesn't reflect what really happened. Scully tells Mulder that the alien virus DNA is also part of all human DNA, but in Gibson the DNA is active. In the power plant, Gibson is trapped inside with the alien, who sheds its skin, revealing the traditional grey alien form.
found the main problem with developing the episode was segueing from a movie that some but not necessarily all viewers saw. The writers sought to bring back characters like Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka), Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers
) and Jeffrey Spender
(Chris Owens
) who weren't in the movie. The writers also sought to bring back an alien
that was seen in the movie
. Chris Carter
claims to have been thinking about what would be in the episode two years prior when he was working on developing The X-Files movie.
The show was the first episode to be filmed in Los Angeles
, California
, resulting in a largely new group of crew members, hired by Carter, Spotnitz and new co-Executive Producer Michael Watkins. The show's crew had to spend five weeks unpacking and cataloging material from the Vancouver film crew. The character Sandy, who is killed in the teaser sequence, was played by the show's casting director, Rick Millikan.
The nuclear power plant in the episode was filmed at a facility run by Southern California Edison in Long Beach, California. Due to a heat wave, many of the scenes ended up being filmed in temperatures over 100 degrees and many lines had to be re-recorded by the actors later. Most of the sequences with the alien had to be re-shot multiple times due to the skin-molting effects on the creature and problems with the nuclear power plant set. Certain scenes were not finished until late October, nearly two months after principal filming ended.
The scenes in an Arizona suburb were filmed in Valencia, California
. The underwater scenes with the alien were filmed in a Marina Del Rey Water tank used frequently by the show Baywatch
.
of 11.9, with a 17 share. It was viewed by 20.34 million viewers in the United States
. The episode was the second highest rated episode of the sixth season.
The X-Files (season 6)
The sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on the Fox Broadcasting Network in the United States on November 8, 1998, concluding on the same channel on May 16, 1999, and contained 22 episodes. The series was developed by Chris Carter, who also serves as...
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 Beginning", which was the first episode of the series to be filmed in Los Angeles, features an alien loose in the Phoenix, Arizona area.
Continuity
It follows directly from "The X-Files" feature filmThe X-Files (film)
The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction-thriller film written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. It is the first feature film based on The X-Files series created by Carter that revolves around a fictional FBI paranormal investigation unit called the X-Files...
, given that, in this episode, there are introductory scenes from the movie.
Before the movie, the previous episode is from the previous season, i.e., "The End"
The End (The X-Files)
"The End" is the 20th episode of the fifth season, and 117th overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on May 17, 1998. "The End" subsequently aired in the United Kingdom, Ireland and was eventually released for broadcast...
from season 5
The X-Files (season 5)
-Episodes:Episodes marked with an asterisk are part of the series' mytharc. Episodes with a double asterisk are part of the series' Alien Mythology....
.
Plot summary
A scientist working for Roush Industries in Phoenix, Arizona is exposed to the black oilBlack Oil
Black Oil may refer to:* Black Oil , an alien virus in the X-Files episode The Colonist* a sunflower variety...
alien-virus and an alien gestates and bursts from his body the next day.
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....
, 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...
appears before an 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...
panel regarding his experiences in Antarctica
The X-Files (film)
The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction-thriller film written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. It is the first feature film based on The X-Files series created by Carter that revolves around a fictional FBI paranormal investigation unit called the X-Files...
. Meanwhile, the Smoking Man reports to the Syndicate
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...
on the alien in Phoenix, confident that he'll be able to kill it. Assistant Director Walter Skinner tells Mulder, who is working on restoring the burned X-Files, that Mulder and Scully have been denied reassignment on the X-Files, but that Mulder should seek out a folder left on the desk in his old office. Mulder goes there, only to discover that Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley have been assigned to the X-Files. Feeling betrayed by Fowley, Mulder leaves, but not before stealthily taking the folder with him.
The Cigarette Smoking Man goes to get Gibson Praise, who is undergoing brain surgery at that very moment. Mulder and Scully head to the home where the alien gestated, finding an alien's nail in the wall. The Cigarette Smoking Man arrives soon after with Gibson, who tells him that the alien is no longer there. At the nuclear power plant, the alien kills another person, but Mulder and Scully are denied access by Spender and Fowley. Upon returning to their car they find Gibson inside, who has escaped from the Cigarette Smoking Man. Later that night, Fowley tells Mulder she was offered the X-Files and is protecting his interest. Mulder leaves Gibson with Scully and heads off with her. Mulder and Fowley believe the alien is seeking heat which is why it's in the nuclear power plant. Inside they find organic material on the ground and cooling pipes.
Scully brings Gibson to the hospital, where it is determined that he has the alien virus in his blood. The Black-Haired Man kidnaps him soon after, and brings him to the power plant. They find the alien, who attacks the Black-Haired Man but not Gibson, as witnessed by Mulder from outside the locked door. Mulder and Scully are ordered to not associate with the X-Files and are re-assigned under Assistant Director Kersh. Spender is visited by the Cigarette Smoking Man in his office. Mulder continues to work on restoring the X-Files, and is told by Scully that Fowley's report doesn't reflect what really happened. Scully tells Mulder that the alien virus DNA is also part of all human DNA, but in Gibson the DNA is active. In the power plant, Gibson is trapped inside with the alien, who sheds its skin, revealing the traditional grey alien form.
Production
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:...
found the main problem with developing the episode was segueing from a movie that some but not necessarily all viewers saw. The writers sought to bring back characters like Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka), Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers is an American movie actress and competitive poker player.-Early life:Rogers was born Miriam Spickler in Coral Gables, Florida, the daughter of Philip C...
) and Jeffrey Spender
Jeffrey Spender
FBI Special agent Jeffrey Frank Spender 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. Spender was in control of the X-Files office after Fox Mulder's and Dana Scully's...
(Chris Owens
Chris Owens (actor)
Christopher Bradley "Chris" Owens is a Canadian actor.Owens was born in Toronto, the son of Jeannette, a jazz singer, and Garry Owens, a jazz drummer....
) who weren't in the movie. The writers also sought to bring back an alien
Colonist (The X-Files)
The Colonists are an extraterrestrial species in the science fiction television show, The X-Files, as well as the first X-Files feature film. The mystery revolving around their identity and purpose is revealed across the course of the series...
that was seen in the movie
The X-Files (film)
The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction-thriller film written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. It is the first feature film based on The X-Files series created by Carter that revolves around a fictional FBI paranormal investigation unit called the X-Files...
. 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 :...
claims to have been thinking about what would be in the episode two years prior when he was working on developing The X-Files movie.
The show was the first episode to be filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, resulting in a largely new group of crew members, hired by Carter, Spotnitz and new co-Executive Producer Michael Watkins. The show's crew had to spend five weeks unpacking and cataloging material from the Vancouver film crew. The character Sandy, who is killed in the teaser sequence, was played by the show's casting director, Rick Millikan.
The nuclear power plant in the episode was filmed at a facility run by Southern California Edison in Long Beach, California. Due to a heat wave, many of the scenes ended up being filmed in temperatures over 100 degrees and many lines had to be re-recorded by the actors later. Most of the sequences with the alien had to be re-shot multiple times due to the skin-molting effects on the creature and problems with the nuclear power plant set. Certain scenes were not finished until late October, nearly two months after principal filming ended.
The scenes in an Arizona suburb were filmed in Valencia, California
Valencia, California
Valencia is an affluent planned community located in the City of Santa Clarita, California and Los Angeles County, California, U.S. in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to Interstate 5. In 1987, it was one of the four unincorporated communities that merged to create the...
. The underwater scenes with the alien were filmed in a Marina Del Rey Water tank used frequently by the show Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
.
Filming locations
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA - Santa ClaritaSanta ClaritaSanta Clarita can refer to:* Santa Clarita, California* Santa Clarita Valley* Valencia, California...
, California, USA - Marina del Rey, California, USA
Reception
The episode 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 11.9, with a 17 share. It was viewed by 20.34 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...
. The episode was the second highest rated episode of the sixth season.