Zero Sum (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Zero Sum" is a 1997 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the twenty-first episode broadcast in the show's fourth season. "Zero Sum" is the series' second episode featuring Walter Skinner and involves him being set up by the Cigarette Smoking Man while covering up the death of a woman from bees.
, working for the Cigarette Smoking Man, covers up the death by deleting the file on the case from agent Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
)'s computer, cleaning up all the evidence at the scene, burning the woman's body in an incinerator and replacing the police's blood sample for the case by posing as Mulder. As he leaves the police station, Skinner is chased down by Detective Roy Thomas, who believes he is Mulder. Skinner tells him there is nothing on the case worthy of his continued involvement, and leaves.
Shortly after Skinner arrives home he is met by Mulder, who tells him about the case and the fact that someone is going to great lengths to cover it up. Mulder reveals that Detective Thomas was killed execution style, which shocks Skinner. Mulder tells Skinner that Scully is undergoing tests regarding her cancer. Skinner tells Mulder he'll help him find who is responsible. Later that night Skinner meets with the Cigarette Smoking Man, who is accompanied by Thomas's murderer, the Gray Haired Man. Skinner is upset at the fact that Thomas was murdered and wants to end their arrangement, which the Cigarette Smoking Man says is something that is not easy to walk away from. Mulder calls Skinner, telling him about the woman's body being burned and the blood evidence being tampered with. Mulder tells Skinner that he does have the gun that Thomas was killed with, which is currently being looked at by ballistics. Skinner searches his drawer and realizes that his gun was missing and is the one that Mulder was telling him about. Skinner, realizing he's been set up, calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who confirms that Thomas was killed with his own gun and that by going to the police Skinner would end up implicating himself in the murder. The Cigarette Smoking Man refuses to provide any details on what he's covering up.
Skinner returns to the routing center where he tears a hole in the bathroom wall and finds a large honeycomb of dead bees. He visits an entomologist to look at one of the bees and is told that agent Mulder visited him approximately six months ago about a similar subject. Skinner visits Mulder's office and finds Mulder's file on the matter, copying down the contact information for Marita Covarrubias. Mulder tells Skinner that a bank near the police station took a picture of the Detective, which shows him with Skinner, but the picture is too obscured for Mulder to identify him. Skinner visits Covarrubias, who doesn't have any evidence to provide him at this time. The entomologist is killed by a swarm of bees. Mulder and Skinner look at his body the next day, which has come down with smallpox, the first case in over seven years, transmitted by the bees. Skinner visits the co-worker of the postal worker who died, who tells him she was pressured to not say anything about what happened and that they demanded a damaged package. At the photo lab Mulder analyzes the photo, which reveals Skinner's identity.
The Cigarette Smoking Man meets with the Syndicate about the matter, who appear to be using the bees for a sort of trial run. Soon afterwards a swarm of bees attacks a nearby school, and one of the teachers dies as a result. Skinner heads to the hospital, where he is met by Covarrubias. She demands to know what he knows about the matter. He tells her he believes that the bees are being used as a carrier for some sort of experiment. Skinner returns home where he is confronted by Mulder, who now suspects that Skinner has been working against him all this time. Skinner is able to convince Mulder that he wouldn't have forced his own drawer lock open and hence couldn't have been the murderer. Convinced of Skinner's evidence, Mulder turns in the gun with the serial number filed off so Skinner isn't blamed for the murder. That night Skinner confronts the Cigarette Smoking Man in his apartment, angry that nothing's been done for Scully. The Cigarette Smoking Man convinces him that Scully will die if he kills him, and Skinner leaves without killing him. Shortly afterwards Covarrubias calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who tells her to tell Mulder what he wants to hear.
described the episode as a "fortunate accident". Late in the fourth season
of the show Gillian Anderson
left the show for a week to film her part in the movie The Mighty
. The producers, knowing that they would have to write an episode without Dana Scully
, decided it wasn't fair to David Duchovny
to carry the same work load as in a normal episode considering her absence, so they decided to write an episode where his involvement would also be light. This resulted in the decision to write, for the second year in a row, an episode focused on Assistant Director Walter Skinner
(Mitch Pileggi
). Howard Gordon
, having written the previous Skinner-centric episode, "Avatar
" joined Spotnitz and the two wrote the episode over a weekend while another Gordon written episode, "Synchrony" was in production. The writers felt that this was the perfect time to bring in Skinner's deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man
(William B. Davis
) to cure Scully's cancer, made in the episode "Memento Mori
". Frank Spotnitz said of Skinner's deal, "The hard thing for Skinner was that we had to keep him in the middle. We had him tell Mulder not to bargain with the Cigarette Smoking Man in order to save Scully's life. And then he himself struck a Faust
ian bargain with the Cigarette Smoking Man and was in his debt for some kind. The writers felt it was also a logical place to bring back the bees that were used in the season premiere, "Herrenvolk
". The writers felt it was critical to not have something paranormal happen to Skinner in this episode considering that had been done in the previous season
.
Director Kim Manners
said of the episode "This was a really good show for me, because I had not got a chance to work with Mitch. And they wrote a great script, you know? It was really something he could sink his teeth into and he just did a great job. Bill Davis was fabulous in that show too." This was the second episode of the series to not feature Scully, the first being the second season
episode "3
".
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 twenty-first episode broadcast in the show's fourth season. "Zero Sum" is the series' second episode featuring Walter Skinner and involves him being set up by the Cigarette Smoking Man while covering up the death of a woman from bees.
Plot
At a postal routing center in Virginia a woman is killed by a swarm of bees in the bathroom while taking a cigarette break. Assistant Director Walter SkinnerWalter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character 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...
, working for the Cigarette Smoking Man, covers up the death by deleting the file on the case from 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:...
)'s computer, cleaning up all the evidence at the scene, burning the woman's body in an incinerator and replacing the police's blood sample for the case by posing as Mulder. As he leaves the police station, Skinner is chased down by Detective Roy Thomas, who believes he is Mulder. Skinner tells him there is nothing on the case worthy of his continued involvement, and leaves.
Shortly after Skinner arrives home he is met by Mulder, who tells him about the case and the fact that someone is going to great lengths to cover it up. Mulder reveals that Detective Thomas was killed execution style, which shocks Skinner. Mulder tells Skinner that Scully is undergoing tests regarding her cancer. Skinner tells Mulder he'll help him find who is responsible. Later that night Skinner meets with the Cigarette Smoking Man, who is accompanied by Thomas's murderer, the Gray Haired Man. Skinner is upset at the fact that Thomas was murdered and wants to end their arrangement, which the Cigarette Smoking Man says is something that is not easy to walk away from. Mulder calls Skinner, telling him about the woman's body being burned and the blood evidence being tampered with. Mulder tells Skinner that he does have the gun that Thomas was killed with, which is currently being looked at by ballistics. Skinner searches his drawer and realizes that his gun was missing and is the one that Mulder was telling him about. Skinner, realizing he's been set up, calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who confirms that Thomas was killed with his own gun and that by going to the police Skinner would end up implicating himself in the murder. The Cigarette Smoking Man refuses to provide any details on what he's covering up.
Skinner returns to the routing center where he tears a hole in the bathroom wall and finds a large honeycomb of dead bees. He visits an entomologist to look at one of the bees and is told that agent Mulder visited him approximately six months ago about a similar subject. Skinner visits Mulder's office and finds Mulder's file on the matter, copying down the contact information for Marita Covarrubias. Mulder tells Skinner that a bank near the police station took a picture of the Detective, which shows him with Skinner, but the picture is too obscured for Mulder to identify him. Skinner visits Covarrubias, who doesn't have any evidence to provide him at this time. The entomologist is killed by a swarm of bees. Mulder and Skinner look at his body the next day, which has come down with smallpox, the first case in over seven years, transmitted by the bees. Skinner visits the co-worker of the postal worker who died, who tells him she was pressured to not say anything about what happened and that they demanded a damaged package. At the photo lab Mulder analyzes the photo, which reveals Skinner's identity.
The Cigarette Smoking Man meets with the Syndicate about the matter, who appear to be using the bees for a sort of trial run. Soon afterwards a swarm of bees attacks a nearby school, and one of the teachers dies as a result. Skinner heads to the hospital, where he is met by Covarrubias. She demands to know what he knows about the matter. He tells her he believes that the bees are being used as a carrier for some sort of experiment. Skinner returns home where he is confronted by Mulder, who now suspects that Skinner has been working against him all this time. Skinner is able to convince Mulder that he wouldn't have forced his own drawer lock open and hence couldn't have been the murderer. Convinced of Skinner's evidence, Mulder turns in the gun with the serial number filed off so Skinner isn't blamed for the murder. That night Skinner confronts the Cigarette Smoking Man in his apartment, angry that nothing's been done for Scully. The Cigarette Smoking Man convinces him that Scully will die if he kills him, and Skinner leaves without killing him. Shortly afterwards Covarrubias calls the Cigarette Smoking Man, who tells her to tell Mulder what he wants to hear.
Production
Co-writer 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:...
described the episode as a "fortunate accident". Late in the fourth season
The X-Files (season 4)
-Episodes:Episodes marked with an asterisk are broadly part of the series' mytharc. Episodes with a double asterisk are primary episodes in the series' Alien Mythology arc....
of the show 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...
left the show for a week to film her part in the movie The Mighty
The Mighty
The Mighty is a 1998 drama film based on the book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick.-Plot:Kevin is a 12-year-old boy who suffers Mucopolysaccharidosis IV, or Morquio syndrome. He is extremely intelligent and prone to flights of fancy, but is physically crippled and is forced to walk with crutches...
. The producers, knowing that they would have to write an episode without 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...
, decided it wasn't fair to 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:...
to carry the same work load as in a normal episode considering her absence, so they decided to write an episode where his involvement would also be light. This resulted in the decision to write, for the second year in a row, an episode focused on Assistant Director Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner
FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character 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...
(Mitch Pileggi
Mitch Pileggi
Mitchell Craig "Mitch" Pileggi is an American actor. Pileggi is known for playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner on the long-running popular series The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Stargate Atlantis as Col. Steven Caldwell...
). 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...
, having written the previous Skinner-centric episode, "Avatar
Avatar (The X-Files)
"Avatar" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the twenty-first episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Avatar" is the series' first episode dedicated to Walter Skinner...
" joined Spotnitz and the two wrote the episode over a weekend while another Gordon written episode, "Synchrony" was in production. The writers felt that this was the perfect time to bring in Skinner's deal with the Cigarette Smoking Man
Cigarette Smoking Man
The Smoking Man is a fictional character and the antagonist on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. Although his name is revealed to purportedly be C.G.B...
(William B. Davis
William B. Davis
William Bruce Davis is a Canadian actor, known for his role as The Smoking Man on The X-Files. He has also appeared in Stargate SG-1 as Damaris, a Prior of the Ori and as Mayor Tate on Smallville...
) to cure Scully's cancer, made in the episode "Memento Mori
Memento Mori (The X-Files)
"Memento Mori" is a 1997 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the fourteenth episode broadcast in the show's fourth season. In "Memento Mori" Dana Scully confirms previous suspicions of cancer, leaving Fox Mulder to investigate the cause and how to save her.- Plot :Dana Scully finds...
". Frank Spotnitz said of Skinner's deal, "The hard thing for Skinner was that we had to keep him in the middle. We had him tell Mulder not to bargain with the Cigarette Smoking Man in order to save Scully's life. And then he himself struck a Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
ian bargain with the Cigarette Smoking Man and was in his debt for some kind. The writers felt it was also a logical place to bring back the bees that were used in the season premiere, "Herrenvolk
Herrenvolk (The X-Files)
"Herrenvolk" is the season four premiere of The X-Files. While Mulder and Jeremiah Smith attempt to uncover the truth, the Syndicate realizes that they have a traitor in their midst. "Herrenvolk" means "Master Race" in German.-Plot:...
". The writers felt it was critical to not have something paranormal happen to Skinner in this episode considering that had been done in the previous season
The X-Files (season 3)
Season three of the television show The X-Files ran from 1995–1996.Chris Carter, the series creator, was still the lead writer - writing eight episodes - and the sole executive producer. Glen Morgan and James Wong continued their roles as co-executive producers, though they began to write...
.
Director Kim Manners
Kim Manners
Kim Manners was an American television producer, director and child actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.-Early life:...
said of the episode "This was a really good show for me, because I had not got a chance to work with Mitch. And they wrote a great script, you know? It was really something he could sink his teeth into and he just did a great job. Bill Davis was fabulous in that show too." This was the second episode of the series to not feature Scully, the first being the second season
The X-Files (season 2)
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, and contained 25 episodes.- Production :...
episode "3
3 (The X-Files)
"3" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on . It was written by Glen Morgan, James Wong and Chris Ruppenthal, directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by Perrey Reeves and Malcolm...
".