"John Doe" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the Americanscience fictiontelevision seriesThe X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on January 13, 2002, on the Fox network. It was written by executive producerVince Gilligan, and directed by co-executive producer Michelle MacLaren. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. "John Doe" earned a Nielsen rating of 5.0 and was viewed by 5.28 million households. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Doggett wakes up in Mexico with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Meanwhile, Reyes and Scully struggle to locate him. The two later discover that Doggett's memory has been taken by a "memory vampire" that works for a drug cartel.
"John Doe", which was written after Gilligan had been thinking of a story involving a "memory vampire" for months, was MacLaren's directorial debut. Noted director Kim Manners helped guide her through the process. Director of photography Bill Roe used specific lighting for the episode; indoor scenes are dark and hard to make out whereas outside scenes are bright and over-saturated with light. The Mexican hotel apartment was created from Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) old apartment set.
Plot
John Doggett (Robert Patrick) awakens inside an abandoned warehouse to find a man stealing one of his shoes. Doggett chases the man outside, where he summons two Mexican police officers. One of the policemen hits the man with his nightstick, while the other demands his identification. When Doggett finds he has no papers, the officer asks him his name. Doggett is shocked to realize he can't remember his own identity.
Doggett is taken to the local jail, where he meets a fellow prisoner named Domingo. Domingo is eventually freed and offers to have Doggett bailed out as well, under the condition that Doggett help him perform his criminal tasks. Doggett agrees, but changes his mind once he is released. Nestor, Domingo's friend, pulls a gun, but Doggett quickly overpowers him and takes the weapon. Doggett returns to the warehouse in hopes of finding clues to his identity. From time to time, he experiences flashbacks of his wife and son, but has no idea who they are.
In the meantime, in Washington, Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) examine video footage from a security camera positioned at the Mexican border. FBIDeputy DirectorAlvin Kersh disbands the task force searching for Doggett, believing the video is proof that he entered Mexico on his own free will and was not abducted. Meanwhile, Doggett phones a U.S. Marine Corps public affairs office, hoping his Marine tattoo will shed some light on his true identity. Before he is able to ask any questions, he notices policemen nearby and flees.
Scully traces Doggett's phone call and has Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) travel to the Mexican town where he was last seen. It is revealed that Caballero, an enforcer for the local drug cartel, is a "memory vampire": he can absorb the memories of those posing a threat to the cartel. Reyes finds Doggett and faces gunfire from the police, who are likewise controlled by the cartel; all the while, Reyes attempts to remind Doggett of who they are. Doggett remembers his son. The agents are rescued by Skinner and the Mexican Federales. Doggett tearfully admits that he is happy to have all of his memories, even the bad ones, "as long as I remember the good.”[2]
Production
Writing and directing
"John Doe" was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan.
"John Doe" was written by executive producer Vince Gilligan and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The episode marked Gilligan's first solo episode for the ninth season. Gilligan had "fiddled" with the story of a "memory vampire" for months, before writing it. The notion to set the story in Mexico and center it around Robert Patrick's character was Frank Spotnitz's idea. From there the story "went together fairly easily."[3] "John Doe" was co-executive MacLaren's directorial debut. Although she had never helmed an episode before, MacLaren had learned much working with Kim Manners, one of the series' prolific directors. She later noted, "Kim taught me how he breaks down a script and prepares his shot list. The most powerful thing he said to me was that he imagines the show all cut together and sees the movie in his head and really visualizes it."[4] Gilligan later said that MacLaren "really rose to the occasion and really did her homework."[4]
The bus crash scene was created with the use of elaborate "smoke and mirrors", according to Gilligan.[5] Over nine cameras were used to film the entire scene. Several of the cameras were under-cranked in order to give the illusion that the bus was going faster than it really was. A steel ramp was buried in the ground to flip the bus. Despite the finished product, Gilligan later joked, "You could have stood there and had a sandwich while the thing was backing up: it was so slow."[5]
Filming and effects
Director of photography Bill Roe borrowed motifs from Steven Soderbergh's film Traffic (2000) for some of the shots.[4] Roe also made the decision to shoot the outdoor scenes using "exteriors three, four stops over what you should shoot it at", resulting in very washed-out palate.[3] When talking about the episode, Roe said: "It was really dark so we had this huge contrast of lighting. It was dark and warm and brown. When you go inside, you can barely see things, but when you're outside, it's just blaring."[3] To create the Mexican town featured in the episode, scenes were filmed in Pomona, a town located outside of Los Angeles. A matte of the town's background and blue sky were then cut and a faux Mexican background was added. Special effects expert Mat Beck also digitally added a number of posters into outdoor scenes.[6]
When creating the Mexican hotel apartment, the crew redecorated what was once Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) apartment set. Production Designer Corey Kaplan said of the development of the episode that, "It was very creative and very rewarding for us as an art department, to create the complete total look of being in another culture."[3] Several Spanish songs are featured in the episode. When the characters are at the cantina, the song "La Calentura" by Roberto Ruiz is playing. During scenes in the garage, "Juana La Cubana" by Fito Olivares is featured.[7]
Reception
"John Doe" first aired in the United States on January 13, 2002.[8] The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.0, meaning that it was seen by 5.0% of the nation's estimated households and was viewed by 5.28 million households.[9][nb 1] "John Doe" was the 66th most watched episode of television that aired during the week ending January 13.[9] The episode later aired in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2002 on BBC Two.[8]
The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. Jessica Morgan from Television Without Pity gave the episode an A− rating.[10] Juliette Harrisson of Den of Geek named "John Doe" the best stand-alone episode of season nine and called it "a refreshing change of pace".[11]Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, gave the episode a glowing review and rated it five stars out of five. The two praised Gilligan's script and Patrick's performance, noting that the former "writes the script with a dirtiness that gives it real power" and the latter's acting was "extraordinary".[12] Furthermore, Shearman and Pearson wrote that "'John Doe' shows that there's still a fresh take to be had on The X-Files after all".[12] Meghan Deans of Tor.com applauded the episode and called it "a clear bright spot in a dark and dismal season, both in its script and in its shooting."[13] She felt that the focus on Doggett was effectively done, and the script focused on "strong character arcs", which worked towards its advantage.[13] In the end, she concluded that the episode was "part of the X-Files, more so than would an alien or a mutant" because it focused on the idea that "pain makes you, more pain makes you better, and living within that pain keeps you alive."[13] M.A. Crang, in his book Denying the Truth: Revisiting The X-Files after 9/11, praised the central premise, the cinematography and Patrick's performance, calling "John Doe" a "stylishly produced entry".[14]
Notes
↑ At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 105.5 million.[9] Thus, 5.0 percent of 105.5 million is 5.28 million households.
↑ Crang, M.A. (2015). Denying the Truth: Revisiting The X-Files after 9/11. Createspace. p.148. ISBN9781517009038.
Bibliography
Hurwitz, Matt; Knowles, Chris (2008). The Complete X-Files. Insight Editions. ISBN978-1933784809.
Shearman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press. ISBN978-0975944691.
Monica Julieta Reyes is a fictional character in the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series The X-Files. She is portrayed by Annabeth Gish. At first a Field Agent before becoming a Special Agent with the FBI, she works with her longtime friend and partner John Doggett in the X-Files office, which is concerned with the investigation of paranormal cases, dubbed "X-Files". Introduced in the series' eighth season, Reyes would become a main character throughout the entirety of its ninth season, before returning for a single-episode guest appearance in the tenth-season finale, and later in a recurring capacity during season eleven.
"Jump the Shark" is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on April 21, 2002 on the Fox network. It was written by executive producers Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Cliff Bole. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode—unconnected to the series' wider mythology—and was created to give closure for The Lone Gunmen television series, which was a spin-off of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 8.6 million viewers. The episode received mixed to negative reviews from television critics.
Alvin D. Kersh is a fictional character in the Fox science fiction television series The X-Files, played by James Pickens Jr. He serves as a figure of authority within the series, first introduced as an Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is later promoted to the post of Deputy Director. Kersh acts as an antagonist who bureaucratically prevents Special Agents Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, John Doggett and Monica Reyes from investigating cases dealing with the paranormal, dubbed X-Files.
"Sunshine Days" is the eighteenth and penultimate episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, and the series' 200th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on May 12, 2002. The entry was written and directed by executive producer Vince Gilligan, his thirtieth and last episode as writer for the series. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. "Sunshine Days" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.2, was viewed by 6.5 million households, and 10.4 million viewers in its initial broadcast. It received mixed reviews from television critics.
"Lord of the Flies" is the fifth episode of the ninth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files, and the show's 187th episode overall. It first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 16, 2001, and was subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two. The episode was written by Thomas Schnauz, and was directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. "Lord of the Flies" earned a Nielsen household rating of 6.2, and was watched by 9.9 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics, with many critical of the episode's reliance on humor.
"Roadrunners" is the fourth episode of the eighth season and the 165th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "Roadrunners" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode first aired in the United States on November 26, 2000, on Fox and on March 1, 2001, on Sky1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Rod Hardy. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3 and was watched by 13.6 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.
"4-D" is the fourth episode of the ninth season and the 186th episode overall of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on December 9, 2001, on the Fox network. It was written by Steven Maeda and directed by Tony Wharmby. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 5.38 million households. It received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
"Dæmonicus" is the third episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files and the show's 185th episode overall. It first premiered on the Fox network in the United States on December 2, 2001. The episode was written and directed by executive producer Frank Spotnitz. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.5 and its premiere was viewed by 5.80 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.
"Trust No 1" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 6, 2002. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Tony Wharmby. "Trust No 1" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 8.4 million viewers; it garnered mixed to negative reviews from television critics, with many feeling that it portrayed the series' characters in a way that was unfaithful to the show's history.
"Providence" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 10, 2002, and later aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on January 19, 2003. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Carter. "Providence" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.2 and was viewed by 8.4 million viewers. The episode received mixed reviews from critics; some reviewers enjoyed the story and the show's way of integrating an absent Fox Mulder into the storyline, whereas others felt the plot was ludicrous.
"Audrey Pauley" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on March 17, 2002. It was written by Steven Maeda and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 4.8, being watched by 8 million viewers. It has generally received positive reviews from television critics.
"Underneath" is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on March 31, 2002, on the Fox network. The episode was written and directed by executive producer John Shiban. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 4.4 and was viewed by 4.64 million households and 7.3 million viewers. It received mixed reviews from critics.
"Hellbound" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on January 27, 2002. It was written by David Amann and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology, or the overarching fictional history. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 7.8 million viewers in its initial broadcast. It received positive reviews from television critics.
"Provenance" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 3, 2002. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners. "Provenance" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 5.5 and was watched by 5.8 million households and 9.7 million viewers. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
"Scary Monsters" is the fourteenth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 14, 2002. It was written by Thomas Schnauz and directed by Dwight H. Little. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 8.2 million viewers in its initial broadcast. It received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
"William" is the sixteenth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, which originally aired on the Fox network on April 28, 2002. The teleplay of the episode was written by series creator Chris Carter, from a story by former series star David Duchovny, Carter, and executive producer Frank Spotnitz; the entry was directed by Duchovny. "William" helps to explore the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 5.8, being watched by 6.1 million households and 9.3 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. It received mixed reviews from television critics, many of whom were unhappy with the episode's conclusion.
"Empedocles" is the seventeenth episode of the eighth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on April 22, 2001. The episode was written by Greg Walker and directed by Barry K. Thomas. "Empedocles" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 7.3 and was viewed by 7.46 million households and over 12.46 million viewers. Overall, the episode received mixed reviews from critics.
"Existence" is the twenty-first episode and final episode of the eighth-season of the science fiction television series The X-Files and 182nd episode overall. The episode first premiered on Fox in the United States on May 20, 2001, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2001, on Sky1. It was written by executive producer Chris Carter and directed by Kim Manners. "Existence" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.4 and was watched by 8.58 million households and 14 million viewers, overall. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics.
"This Is Not Happening" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season and the 175th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States on February 25, 2001, on the Fox Network, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Kim Manners, and forms part of the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 9.7 and was watched by 16.9 million viewers, making it the highest-rated episode of the season. "This Is Not Happening" was received positively by television critics.
"Three Words" is the sixteenth episode of the eighth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It first aired in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2001, on Fox. Written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Tony Wharmby, it explores the series' overarching mythology. It earned a Nielsen rating of 7.6, viewed by 7.77 million households, and received mixed to positive reviews from television critics.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
