"The X Files" How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (1998)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Chris Carter

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Chris Carter (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

13 December 1998 (Season 6, Episode 6)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully stakeout a house that is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of two...

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edward Asner	...	Maurice
Lily Tomlin	...	Lydia

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Maurice ('Ed Asner') tells Mulder that he knows people in the ACLU. Asner has been involved with the ACLU in his real life as an activist in controversial issues.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Just as Mulder begins prying open the floor, the lightning causes a person's shadow to appear behind him and Scully that does not correspond with either of their positions or movements.

Quotes:

Scully: Mulder.
Mulder: [alarmed at a noise] Shhh! What was that?
Scully: [irritably rational] These are tricks that the mind plays. They are ingrained clichés from a thousand different horror films. When we hear a sound, we get a chill, we, we- we see a shadow and we allow ourselves to imagine something that an otherwise rational person would discount out of hand.
[Mulder just continues up the dark staircase. Frustrated, Scully pulls out her flashlight and follows him]
Scully: [continuing to rationalize nervously] The whole, Mulder- the whole idea of a benevolent entity fits perfectly with what I'm saying, that, I mean, that a spirit would materialize or return for no other purpose than to show itself is silly and ridiculous. I mean, what it really shows is how silly and ridiculous we have become in believing such things. I mean that... that we can ignore all natural laws about the corporeal body, that... that we witness these spirits clad in their own, shabby outfits, with the same old haircuts and hairstyles, never aging, never- never in search for more comfortable surroundings... it actually ends up saying more about the living than it does about the dead.
Mulder: [only half-listening] Mmm-huh.
Scully: [clearly rattling on in fear and nervousness] And Mulder, it doesn't take an advanced degree in Psychology to understand the unconscious yearnings that these imaginings satisfy. You know, the... the longing for immortality, the hope that there is something beyond this mortal coil, that we might never be long without our loved-ones... I mean, these are powerful, powerful desires. I mean, they're the very essence of what makes us human... the very essence of Christmas, actually.
[a door nearby suddenly opens on its own with a loud creak]
Mulder: [breathless; whispering] Tell me you're not afraid.
Scully: [breathless also, but stringent] All right, I'm afraid. But it's an irrational fear.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features Scrooge (1951)

Soundtrack:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

A must see even for everybody

For the first five years the X-files didn't have a Holiday episode. This is one of the best Holiday episodes that I've seen. I'm not going to write about the plot that I can say is marvelous. Let me tell you the the acting that is great, the music really wraps you in the mood for the episode, the lightning is very good, and yes: The plot is more than good. Wonderful performances by Edward Asner and Lily Tomlin spice the episode. Just four characters in a mix that really made a Merry Merry Christmas.

Mulder and Scully find themselves in a situation where they need to thrust themselves and maybe they have to find out about how much they care about each other and maybe how much they love each other. Of course the plot wouldn't have worked without previous knowledge about how Mulder and Scully think. Maybe if you see this episode as your first X files episode it wouldn't make sense, but if you are connected to the characters you will love this one, one of the best of season 6 an one of the best of the whole series.