The X-Files: Season 1, Episode 0

Pilot (10 Sep. 1993)
"The X Files" Pilot (original title)

TV Episode  -   -  Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
8.1
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Ratings: 8.1/10 from 5,242 users  
Reviews: 31 user | 1 critic

A young F.B.I. agent is assigned watchdog duty over a fellow agent, but finds herself drawn into his investigations of paranormal and unexplained phenomena.

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Title: Pilot (10 Sep 1993)

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Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
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Charles Cioffi ...
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Dr. Jay Nemman (as Cliff DeYoung)
Sarah Koskoff ...
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Coroner Truitt
Zachary Ansley ...
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Alexandra Berlin ...
Orderly
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Peggy O'Dell (as Katya Gardener)
J.B. Bivens ...
Truck Driver
Ric Reid ...
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Storyline

Skeptical FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully is reassinged by Divison Chief Scott Blevins to work with the "believer" Fox William Mulder. Their first case together takes them to Bellefleur, Oregon; where the fourth member of the BHS class of '89 has been found dead...with two mysterious pink marks on her back, which all other victims have had. Written by Marc-David Jacobs <AgentMarcFBI@hotmail.com>

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10 September 1993 (USA)  »

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1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The original script for this episode called for Mulder and Scully to howl at the moon at one point. See more »

Goofs

When Scully goes to Mulder's room, thinking she has the marks, after he has checked her we see Scully's hair is behind her collar, but when the shot changes to her going to sit down, her hair is now hanging out. See more »

Quotes

Special Agent Fox Mulder: There's classified government information I've been trying to access, but someone has been blocking my attempts to get at it.
Special Agent Dana Scully: Who? I don't understand.
Special Agent Fox Mulder: Someone at a higher level of power...
Special Agent Dana Scully: And they're afraid of what, that you'll leak this information?
Special Agent Fox Mulder: You're a part of that agenda, you know that.
Special Agent Dana Scully: I'm not a part of any agenda. You've got to trust me. I'm here, just like, you, to solve this.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Evolution (2001) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

Solid start to a great TV series
22 April 2008 | by (prejudicemadeplausible.wordpress.com) – See all my reviews

A lot of pilot episodes for TV in general are overrated (as much as I dislike that word, I think it fits here). There are exceptions of course, the Twin Peaks pilot perhaps the most obvious and best example, but I think they tend to be shaky affairs in general.

"The X-Files" pilot isn't bad by any stretch, and few fans would consider it one of the best episodes, so it isn't particularly overrated either. It is, however, a solid, involving 46 minutes. Flawed, but still quite good.

I don't think Duchovny and Anderson are quite as good here as they would later be, and I found some of the writing cringe-worthy, in addition the production and cinematography don't seem up to the standard of much of the series (granted the first season generally looks quite cheap, but John Bartley still used some inventive methods with his cinematography that Thomas Del Ruth would never bother with), and the music is often corny and very late 80's/early 90's. That said, this is still a good, solid start to the series, and a good story let down by an uneven script and some other issues.

It's quite remarkable, however, how well-developed the characters already feel after just one episode.

A couple of extra notes:

Gillian Anderson looks particularly scrumptious here, and even has a very rare gratuitous underwear scene for the guys and lesbians to enjoy. The first issue of the X-Files comics series by Topps comics was an adaptation of this episode written by Roy Thomas and featuring art by John Van Fleet, and actually sorts out a lot of the issues with the quality of the production, acting, and script in the televised version. It's worth seeking out.

7/10


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