"The X Files" The Pine Bluff Variant (1998)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
John Shiban (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

3 May 1998 (Season 5, Episode 18)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

During an undercover sting operation on a terrorist organization, Mulder appears to help the suspect escape...

Plot Keywords:

FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files | Conspiracy

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
Daniel von Bargen	...	Haley
Michael MacRae	...	August Bremer
Sam Anderson	...	Leamus
J.B. Bivens	...	Field Agent
Douglas Arthurs	...	Skin-Head Man (as Douglas H. Arthurs)
John B. Lowe	...	Dr. Leavitt
Ralph J. Alderman	...	Manager (as Ralph Alderman)
Dean McKenzie	...	Army Tech
Kate Braidwood	...	The Usherette
Armin Moattar	...	Goatee Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael McRae	...	August Bremer

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Kate Braidwood, who plays the movie theater usherette, is the daughter of X-Files first assistant director Tom Braidwood.

Quotes:

Mulder: [leaving the room to go under cover] If you don't hear from me by midnight... Feed my fish...

Movie Connections:

References Titanic (1997)

If you don't hear from me by midnight... feed my fish.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The Pine Bluff Variant may be John Shiban's best solo work for the x-files. He is well known for his great threesome work with Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan. But this solo effort deserves good praise. In the audio commentary for the episode, he explains how he had a note tacked up for a couple of years that said "x-files thriller", since they hadn't explored that genre before. When "doubting" Mulder came along in season five, it was the perfect time to use Shiban's story. And a thriller it is. Mark Snow is brilliant at setting the tone for this tense episode. Even though this episode isn't related to the paranormal, it does ties in because the terrorists recruited Mulder after hearing him talk about his government conspiracy theory at the UFO convention in "The Red and the Black". Even though Mulder is in some very dangerous and risky situations, he manages to keep his sense of humor and get some good one-liners in. This episode is exciting from start to finish, with the first half having you doubting Mulder's allegiance along with Scully. The whole episode shows that there are "lies within lies". John Shiban's inspiration for this episode is a 1965 film called "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold". I haven't seen it yet, but I'll have to check it out, especially if it's anywhere near as good as The Pine Bluff Variant, the x-files first and only "spy thriller".