The Red and the Black (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"The Red and the Black" is a 1998 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's fifth season. "The Red and the Black" continues from the previous episode, "Patient X" and involves the introduction of a group of alien rebels that are fighting against the alien colonists.
Agent Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) arrives at the Ruskin Dam
, which contains a number of burned corpses, including Quiet Willy and Dmitri. Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) is found with only minor burns, one of approximately fifty survivors who were found nearby in the woods. Jeffrey Spender arrives looking for his mother, Cassandra, who is missing.
The Well-Manicured Man and other elders watch as their black oil vaccine is administered to Marita Covarrubias, which as of yet has not worked.
Mulder meets with Scully about the incident, who doesn't remember anything. Jeffrey sees Mulder and again tells him not to get involved with his mother, who remains missing.
The Well-Manicured Man meets with Krycek, who is being held captive in a Russian freighter. The Well-Manicured Man believes that the Russians possess a functional vaccine to the black oil or else Krycek wouldn't have infected the boy. With a working vaccine, resistance to the alien colonists is possible.
A spacecraft crashes at Wiekamp Air Force base in West Virginia, and the surviving alien rebel passenger is captured by the military. Mulder shows Scully more photos of the victims and, having found more implants in them, believes the implant in Scully may be able to answer all of their questions.
The Syndicate meets over the capture of the alien rebel. The Well-Manicured Man wants to align with the rebels, but the other Syndicate members are reluctant and want to make sure the Russian vaccine from Krycek works.
Scully is hypnotized by Dr. Werber. She recalls the alien rebels burning fellow abductees. Suddenly, a colonist spacecraft appears, destroying the rebels with beams of light and abducting Cassandra. After the hypnosis, the agents report to Skinner. Mulder's insistence that the events that occurred were caused by the military and not aliens frustrates even Skinner, who finds alien involvement a more likely explanation. The Russian vaccine has thus far had no effect on Marita, and the First Elder tells the Well-Manicured Man that they have already decided to turn the alien rebel over to the colonists. Jeffrey shows Scully a video of him talking about aliens while under hypnosis while he was a child. He claims his mother went crazy because his father abandoned them and that she forced him to say those things.
Mulder is jumped by Krycek in his apartment, who was released by the Well-Manicured Man. Krycek claims that a war is raging between the aliens and that the incinerations were caused by alien rebels who want to stop plans to colonize the Earth. The captured rebel is critical to their plans and must not die. The Alien Bounty Hunter arrives at Wiekamp Air Force Base. Mulder and Scully head there and when Scully spots Quiet Willy, whom she recognizes, in a passing truck, Mulder jumps aboard. Inside is the captured rebel leader, whom the Alien Bounty Hunter (who had taken on the appearance of Quiet Willy) comes inside to kill. As he's about to do so, a white light flashes and a second alien rebel appears, who presumably kills the Alien Bounty Hunter and rescues the other rebel. The Well-Manicured Man watches as the Russian vaccine is revealed to have been successful on Marita. Mulder, who doesn't remember a thing, is visited by Scully. At FBI Headquarters, Jeffrey receives a letter that he has returned to the sender, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, at his cabin in Canada.
, above the city of Vancouver, Canada. The child he gave the message to was a young boy and the son of production manager J.P. Finn. When filming, Chris Carter
made homage to ER
, filming one of the scenes entirely with a Steadicam
. The various scenes with the Syndicate
testing the black oil vaccine on Marita Covarrubias were filmed at an abandoned hospital in Vancouver. Carter commented that they chose it because it had "an interesting observation space above it that we used", which was difficult to shoot in.
Rob Bowman was originally intended to direct the episode but, due to reshoots, he was unable to do it, resulting in Carter directing. Most of the scenes at the Ruskin Dam were shot approximately 50 miles east of Vancouver, while the abduction sequence involved a full scale replica of the dam. The scene where Cassandra Spender was elevated into the colonist craft was shot by having a stuntwoman sit in Cassandra's wheelchair and be lifted upward via a crane, which was removed from the shot during post-production. The lights of the alien spacecrafts were shot using a lighting rig combined with computer effects by Special Effects Supervisor Laurie Kalisen-George. The crashed alien spacecraft was sixty feet in diameter, twice the length of any other spaceship seen before on the show, and dragged along the ground to create a skidmark. Twenty-five explosions were set off to simulate the saucer crash; the remains of the wreckage were then burned to create the rest of the footage. The list of victims viewed by Scully in her hospital room was made up of X-Files staffers.
The tagline for this episode is "Resist or Serve". The tagline was later used for The X-Files game, The X-Files: Resist or Serve
as well as the official book covering the fifth season of the show.
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 was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's fifth season. "The Red and the Black" continues from the previous episode, "Patient X" and involves the introduction of a group of alien rebels that are fighting against the alien colonists.
Plot
In Canada, someone in a cabin writes a letter, addressed to "Son" and expresses hopes that they may reconcile. The envelope is addressed to the FBI, and is given to a boy courier for mailing.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...
(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:...
) arrives at the Ruskin Dam
Ruskin Dam
Ruskin Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Stave River in Ruskin, British Columbia, Canada. The dam was completed in 1930 for the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation...
, which contains a number of burned corpses, including Quiet Willy and Dmitri. 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...
) is found with only minor burns, one of approximately fifty survivors who were found nearby in the woods. Jeffrey Spender arrives looking for his mother, Cassandra, who is missing.
The Well-Manicured Man and other elders watch as their black oil vaccine is administered to Marita Covarrubias, which as of yet has not worked.
Mulder meets with Scully about the incident, who doesn't remember anything. Jeffrey sees Mulder and again tells him not to get involved with his mother, who remains missing.
The Well-Manicured Man meets with Krycek, who is being held captive in a Russian freighter. The Well-Manicured Man believes that the Russians possess a functional vaccine to the black oil or else Krycek wouldn't have infected the boy. With a working vaccine, resistance to the alien colonists is possible.
A spacecraft crashes at Wiekamp Air Force base in West Virginia, and the surviving alien rebel passenger is captured by the military. Mulder shows Scully more photos of the victims and, having found more implants in them, believes the implant in Scully may be able to answer all of their questions.
The Syndicate meets over the capture of the alien rebel. The Well-Manicured Man wants to align with the rebels, but the other Syndicate members are reluctant and want to make sure the Russian vaccine from Krycek works.
Scully is hypnotized by Dr. Werber. She recalls the alien rebels burning fellow abductees. Suddenly, a colonist spacecraft appears, destroying the rebels with beams of light and abducting Cassandra. After the hypnosis, the agents report to Skinner. Mulder's insistence that the events that occurred were caused by the military and not aliens frustrates even Skinner, who finds alien involvement a more likely explanation. The Russian vaccine has thus far had no effect on Marita, and the First Elder tells the Well-Manicured Man that they have already decided to turn the alien rebel over to the colonists. Jeffrey shows Scully a video of him talking about aliens while under hypnosis while he was a child. He claims his mother went crazy because his father abandoned them and that she forced him to say those things.
Mulder is jumped by Krycek in his apartment, who was released by the Well-Manicured Man. Krycek claims that a war is raging between the aliens and that the incinerations were caused by alien rebels who want to stop plans to colonize the Earth. The captured rebel is critical to their plans and must not die. The Alien Bounty Hunter arrives at Wiekamp Air Force Base. Mulder and Scully head there and when Scully spots Quiet Willy, whom she recognizes, in a passing truck, Mulder jumps aboard. Inside is the captured rebel leader, whom the Alien Bounty Hunter (who had taken on the appearance of Quiet Willy) comes inside to kill. As he's about to do so, a white light flashes and a second alien rebel appears, who presumably kills the Alien Bounty Hunter and rescues the other rebel. The Well-Manicured Man watches as the Russian vaccine is revealed to have been successful on Marita. Mulder, who doesn't remember a thing, is visited by Scully. At FBI Headquarters, Jeffrey receives a letter that he has returned to the sender, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, at his cabin in Canada.
Production
The opening scene was filmed at Grouse MountainGrouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m in altitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area in the winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver with four chairlifts facilitating 26 runs...
, above the city of Vancouver, Canada. The child he gave the message to was a young boy and the son of production manager J.P. Finn. When filming, 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 :...
made homage to 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...
, filming one of the scenes entirely with a Steadicam
Steadicam
A Steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement, allowing a smooth shot even when moving quickly over an uneven surface...
. The various scenes with 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...
testing the black oil vaccine on Marita Covarrubias were filmed at an abandoned hospital in Vancouver. Carter commented that they chose it because it had "an interesting observation space above it that we used", which was difficult to shoot in.
Rob Bowman was originally intended to direct the episode but, due to reshoots, he was unable to do it, resulting in Carter directing. Most of the scenes at the Ruskin Dam were shot approximately 50 miles east of Vancouver, while the abduction sequence involved a full scale replica of the dam. The scene where Cassandra Spender was elevated into the colonist craft was shot by having a stuntwoman sit in Cassandra's wheelchair and be lifted upward via a crane, which was removed from the shot during post-production. The lights of the alien spacecrafts were shot using a lighting rig combined with computer effects by Special Effects Supervisor Laurie Kalisen-George. The crashed alien spacecraft was sixty feet in diameter, twice the length of any other spaceship seen before on the show, and dragged along the ground to create a skidmark. Twenty-five explosions were set off to simulate the saucer crash; the remains of the wreckage were then burned to create the rest of the footage. The list of victims viewed by Scully in her hospital room was made up of X-Files staffers.
The tagline for this episode is "Resist or Serve". The tagline was later used for The X-Files game, The X-Files: Resist or Serve
The X-Files: Resist or Serve
The X-Files: Resist or Serve is a survival horror game for the PlayStation 2 video game console, based on the television series The X-Files using the Resident Evil video game engine. This is the second game based on the series, after The X-Files Game...
as well as the official book covering the fifth season of the show.