Unruhe
Encyclopedia
"Unruhe" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the fourth episode broadcast in the show's fourth season, and the first episode to air on Sunday night when the show was moved from Fridays to Sundays. "Unruhe" features a man who kidnaps women and lobotomizes
them. The agents' only clues to catching him are distorted photos of the victims taken just before their kidnapping.
, a young woman, Mary Lefante, goes to a local pharmacy
to get her passport
photo taken. While waiting for it to develop, she returns to her car and finds that her boyfriend has been murdered. The hooded killer renders Lefante unconscious with a hypodermic needle
, then kidnaps her. Meanwhile, in the pharmacy, the elderly clerk discovers Lefante's developed photo, showing her screaming amidst a distorted background.
FBI
agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
join the case. The boyfriend was found to have died by having something long and sharp pushed into his ear. When discussing the photograph, Mulder tells Scully about Ted Serios
, who was famous for taking "thoughtographs", photos which showed what was in his mind. Mulder takes pictures using a camera found in Lefante's apartment, and they all appear the same as the one from the pharmacy. Mulder thinks whoever kidnapped Lefante has been stalking
her nearby.
Lefante turns up alive, but appears to have been given an improperly-performed transorbital lobotomy through the eyes. Another woman, Alice Brandt, is kidnapped. She wakes up bound in a dentist's chair with her kidnapper brandishing an ice pick and speaking in German
. Mulder returns to Washington, D.C.
to examine the photos and finds no evidence that they were doctored. By closely examining the photos, he finds the face of an old man as well as the shadow of the kidnapper.
Scully, finding a construction company referenced at both crime scenes, investigates the possible lead. She meets a man named Gerry Schnauz, who worked near both scenes of the kidnapping. When Mulder calls Scully, telling her that the kidnapper's legs were out of proportion in the photo, Schnauz, who is on stilts
, runs. Scully pursues Schauz and captures him. The agents interrogate Schnauz, who was once institutionalized
for beating his father—the old man in the photo—with an axe
handle. Schnauz initially denies committing any crimes. However, when questioned on the location of Brandt, Schnauz claims she is safe from the "howlers". Brandt is soon found in the woods, lobotomized. Mulder believes that Schnauz thinks he is rescuing his victims from howlers and that the photos show his nightmares.
A police officer takes Schnauz's mugshot. However, when it develops, it shows the officer shot through the head. Schnauz manages to kill the officer seconds later and escapes, although the death is completely different than that shown in the photo. Schnauz robs a nearby drug store, taking cameras, film, and an assortment of drug-related materials. When Scully leaves, she passes out after being pricked by a needle by Schnauz, who is hiding beneath her car. Examining a photo of Scully taken in the drug store, Mulder finds it distorted like the other photos.
Mulder heads to the office where Schnauz's father used to work as a dentist
, and finds the chair missing. Scully awakens bound to the chair with Schnauz claiming he's going to kill the howlers in her head, and attempts to reason with him and explain that the howlers are products of his mental illness. Schnauz takes a photo of himself, then prepares to lobotomize Scully. Mulder, having found a clue in the photo of Scully from the drugstore, finds a trailer in a cemetery
and realizes it belongs to Schnauz. He manages to break in and shoot Schnauz in the nick of time. Mulder looks at the photo Schnauz took, in which he is lying dead on the floor.
was inspired to write the episode based on Time-Life mail order books he read as a child discussing the lives of serial killers. One of the books featured Howard Unruh
, the first modern mass murderer. The episode was also inspired by Ted Serios
, whose thought-photographs were mentioned by Fox Mulder
in the episode. The use of the dentist chair where Schnauz sat his victims was included considering people's common fear of the dentist. Gilligan had written the role of Schnauz with Pruitt Taylor Vince
in mind when he saw him in the Adrian Lyne
film Jacob's Ladder
. Vince had been approached to be a guest star on the show in the first season but declined the role due to it being too small. Most of the scenes featuring Schnauz on plasterer's stilts were shot using stuntmen. In the scene where Scully meets Schnauz using them a safety cable was attached to Vince to keep him upright that was edited out in post-production. Ken Hawryliw created the lobotomy instrument Schnauz used from scratch when he was unsuccessful with his attempts to borrow one from a doctor or hospital.
This episode was the first episode in the series that was broadcast out of order in the series' production schedule. Once the producers of the show knew that they would be moving to Sundays starting with the fourth episode of the season, they decided to push this episode back, feeling that it would be an excellent representative of the show for its first Sunday night episode and a better representative than the fourth episode of the season filmed, "Teliko".
The title of the episode, "Unruhe", is the German word for "unrest" or "anxiety". When Scully talks in German to Schnauz, she says "Ich habe keine Unruhe" (literally "I do not have anxiety").
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 fourth episode broadcast in the show's fourth season, and the first episode to air on Sunday night when the show was moved from Fridays to Sundays. "Unruhe" features a man who kidnaps women and lobotomizes
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
them. The agents' only clues to catching him are distorted photos of the victims taken just before their kidnapping.
Plot
In Traverse City, MichiganTraverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
, a young woman, Mary Lefante, goes to a local pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
to get her passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
photo taken. While waiting for it to develop, she returns to her car and finds that her boyfriend has been murdered. The hooded killer renders Lefante unconscious with a hypodermic needle
Hypodermic needle
A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from it...
, then kidnaps her. Meanwhile, in the pharmacy, the elderly clerk discovers Lefante's developed photo, showing her screaming amidst a distorted background.
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...
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...
join the case. The boyfriend was found to have died by having something long and sharp pushed into his ear. When discussing the photograph, Mulder tells Scully about Ted Serios
Ted Serios
Theodore 'Ted' Judd Serios was a Chicago bellhop, who became known in the 1960s by producing "thoughtographs" on Polaroid film. He claimed these were produced using psychic powers...
, who was famous for taking "thoughtographs", photos which showed what was in his mind. Mulder takes pictures using a camera found in Lefante's apartment, and they all appear the same as the one from the pharmacy. Mulder thinks whoever kidnapped Lefante has been stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
her nearby.
Lefante turns up alive, but appears to have been given an improperly-performed transorbital lobotomy through the eyes. Another woman, Alice Brandt, is kidnapped. She wakes up bound in a dentist's chair with her kidnapper brandishing an ice pick and speaking in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Mulder returns to 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....
to examine the photos and finds no evidence that they were doctored. By closely examining the photos, he finds the face of an old man as well as the shadow of the kidnapper.
Scully, finding a construction company referenced at both crime scenes, investigates the possible lead. She meets a man named Gerry Schnauz, who worked near both scenes of the kidnapping. When Mulder calls Scully, telling her that the kidnapper's legs were out of proportion in the photo, Schnauz, who is on stilts
Stilts
Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a distance above the ground. Walking stilts are poles equipped with steps for the feet to stand on, or straps to attach them to the legs, for the purpose of walking while elevated above a normal height...
, runs. Scully pursues Schauz and captures him. The agents interrogate Schnauz, who was once institutionalized
Institutionalized
Institutionalized may refer to:* The act of being placed in a psychiatric hospital* "Institutionalized" , a song on Suicidal Tendencies 1983 titular album* Institutionalized , a 2005 rap album by American rapper Ras Kass...
for beating his father—the old man in the photo—with an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
handle. Schnauz initially denies committing any crimes. However, when questioned on the location of Brandt, Schnauz claims she is safe from the "howlers". Brandt is soon found in the woods, lobotomized. Mulder believes that Schnauz thinks he is rescuing his victims from howlers and that the photos show his nightmares.
A police officer takes Schnauz's mugshot. However, when it develops, it shows the officer shot through the head. Schnauz manages to kill the officer seconds later and escapes, although the death is completely different than that shown in the photo. Schnauz robs a nearby drug store, taking cameras, film, and an assortment of drug-related materials. When Scully leaves, she passes out after being pricked by a needle by Schnauz, who is hiding beneath her car. Examining a photo of Scully taken in the drug store, Mulder finds it distorted like the other photos.
Mulder heads to the office where Schnauz's father used to work as a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, and finds the chair missing. Scully awakens bound to the chair with Schnauz claiming he's going to kill the howlers in her head, and attempts to reason with him and explain that the howlers are products of his mental illness. Schnauz takes a photo of himself, then prepares to lobotomize Scully. Mulder, having found a clue in the photo of Scully from the drugstore, finds a trailer in a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and realizes it belongs to Schnauz. He manages to break in and shoot Schnauz in the nick of time. Mulder looks at the photo Schnauz took, in which he is lying dead on the floor.
Production
Writer Vince GilliganVince Gilligan
Vince Gilligan is an American writer, director and producer. He is the creator of the highly acclaimed television series Breaking Bad. Gilligan has also worked on the hit series The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. He is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...
was inspired to write the episode based on Time-Life mail order books he read as a child discussing the lives of serial killers. One of the books featured Howard Unruh
Howard Unruh
Howard Barton Unruh was an American mass murderer who killed 13 people on September 6, 1949, in Camden, New Jersey, when he was 28 years old. Unruh is considered the first single-episode mass murderer in U.S. history. He died in 2009 after a lengthy illness at the age of 88...
, the first modern mass murderer. The episode was also inspired by Ted Serios
Ted Serios
Theodore 'Ted' Judd Serios was a Chicago bellhop, who became known in the 1960s by producing "thoughtographs" on Polaroid film. He claimed these were produced using psychic powers...
, whose thought-photographs were mentioned by 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...
in the episode. The use of the dentist chair where Schnauz sat his victims was included considering people's common fear of the dentist. Gilligan had written the role of Schnauz with Pruitt Taylor Vince
Pruitt Taylor Vince
Pruitt Taylor Vince is an American award-winning character actor who has made many appearances in film and television.-Personal life:Vince was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
in mind when he saw him in the Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for directing films that focus on sexually charged characters and often uses natural light, a fog machine and other effects to create eroticized atmospheres...
film Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder (film)
Jacob's Ladder is a 1990 American psychological thriller/horror film directed by Adrian Lyne, based on a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin.-Plot:Jacob Singer is a U.S. soldier deployed in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War...
. Vince had been approached to be a guest star on the show in the first season but declined the role due to it being too small. Most of the scenes featuring Schnauz on plasterer's stilts were shot using stuntmen. In the scene where Scully meets Schnauz using them a safety cable was attached to Vince to keep him upright that was edited out in post-production. Ken Hawryliw created the lobotomy instrument Schnauz used from scratch when he was unsuccessful with his attempts to borrow one from a doctor or hospital.
This episode was the first episode in the series that was broadcast out of order in the series' production schedule. Once the producers of the show knew that they would be moving to Sundays starting with the fourth episode of the season, they decided to push this episode back, feeling that it would be an excellent representative of the show for its first Sunday night episode and a better representative than the fourth episode of the season filmed, "Teliko".
The title of the episode, "Unruhe", is the German word for "unrest" or "anxiety". When Scully talks in German to Schnauz, she says "Ich habe keine Unruhe" (literally "I do not have anxiety").