"The X Files" The End (1998)

Director:

R.W. Goodwin

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Chris Carter (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

17 May 1998 (Season 5, Episode 20)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

During a chess tournament, a young boy becomes the centre of an investigation concerning the alien mythology. Meanwhile a face from Agent Mulder's past causes friction in his relationship with Agent Scully. |

Plot Keywords:

Cliffhanger | Male Female Relationship | Title Spoken By Character | FBI | FBI Agent

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
Nicholas Lea	...	Alex Krycek
William B. Davis	...	Cigarette Smoking Man / CGB Spender
Mimi Rogers	...	Agent Diana Fowley
Jeff Gulka	...	Gibson Andrew Praise
Martin Ferrero	...	Shooter
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Black-Haired Man
Chris Owens	...	FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Spender
George Murdock	...	Elder #2
Tom Braidwood	...	Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund	...	Richard 'Ringo' Langly
Bruce Harwood	...	John Fitzgerald Byers
Don S. Williams	...	Elder #1

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Goofs:

Continuity: When the sniper shoots the chess player, the player falls knocking the chessboard and pieces on to the floor. However, in the next shot the board is back on the table.

Quotes:

Skinner: So this kid is a human oddity. Tell me why anyone would go to such lengths as to kill him?
Mulder: This kid may be the key not just to all human potential, but to all spiritual unexplained paranormal phenomena. The key to everything in The X-Files.

Movie Connections:

Features "King of the Hill" (1997)

So long, Vancouver!

After five dark, cold, and rain-filled seasons filming in Vancouver, the x-files wrapped up production and moved to warm and sunny L.A. It was a great five years, and the dark and wet atmosphere really helped set the tone for the series. For the opening teaser, the show used a large arena and advertised for all the locals to come fill up the arena as extras for the chess tournament. Those aren't CGI people. They're all real. It was the x-files way of thanking the people of Vancouver for five wonderful years. It's hard to believe that that many people would watch one chess match, but it's still a cool visual. The season goes out with a bang in 'The End', a fitting finale for Vancouver. It's cool to see the syndicate out of their usual office. I believe this is the first time you see all of them together in a different setting. It's interesting how the cartoon Gibson is watching mirrors the episode. The emotional tension in this episode is heightened, especially between Mulder and Scully. This is caused by the addition of Diana Fowley, excellently played by Mimi Rogers. The character of Diana Fowley adds a certain amount of dramatic tension to the show, when she apparently horns in on Scully's territory. The scene of Scully seeing Mulder with Fowley and then returning to her car to call him is very poignant. The Cigarette Smoking Man's vocabulary is replete with chess terms in his conversations with others. And the final scene of Mulder's office is very powerful. The whole episode is layered with meaning. 'The End' means so many different things in this episode; an excellent title for the episode. It's a very fitting end to the Vancouver years of the X-Files.