Paper Hearts (15 Dec. 1996)
"The X Files" Paper Hearts (original title)

A particularly vivid dream leads Mulder to the burial site of a young girl who had been kidnapped and murdered years before. Mulder knows exactly who the murderer is, John Lee Roche whom ... See full summary »

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator), Vince Gilligan

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi

Cast

Episode cast overview:
David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
Tom Noonan	...	John Lee Roche
Byrne Piven	...	Robert Sparks
Rebecca Toolan	...	Mrs. Teena Mulder
Jane Perry	...	Day Care Operator
Vanessa Morley	...	Young Samantha Mulder
Edward Diaz	...	El Camino Owner
Paul Bittante	...	The Local Cop
Carly McKillip	...	Caitlin Ross

Storyline

A particularly vivid dream leads Mulder to the burial site of a young girl who had been kidnapped and murdered years before. Mulder knows exactly who the murderer is, John Lee Roche whom Mulder an another FBI agent had arrested based in part on the psychological profile Mulder had prepared on him. Roche was convicted of 13 murders in all and Mulder always wondered if there might be more. The girl found as a result of his dream is number 14 and when they locate Roche's 'trophies' - hearts cuts out of the victims' clothing - they realize there are still two victims unaccounted for. The case takes an unexpected turn when Mulder's dreams suggests that Roche may have been involved in his sister Samantha's disappearance.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | serial killer | camper shell | basketball | human skull | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1996 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 2, North Shore Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Ten Thirteen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Noonan plays a role as a serial killer, a role that he previously played in Manhunter and Last Action Hero.

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Goofs

Scully claims the address of the "Mad Hatter" (Roche) to be 9809 Alice Road, apartment number 6, but when they go to the apartment it is apartment number 5.

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Quotes

Mulder: Scully, do you believe that my sister Samantha was abducted by aliens? Have you ever believed that? No. So what do you think happened to her?
Scully: What are you saying you believe now?
Mulder: I don't know. I don't know what happened. I don't know what to believe. I just know that I have to find out now.

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Connections

References The Magician (1973)

User Reviews

The Mad Hatter

Paper Hearts has become one of my favorite episodes since I started watching the series again. I remember watching it earlier on when I was more into the mytharc of the series and wanting to know about the conspiracies and I remember being disappointed that this episode leads you to believe that you would get answers about Mulder's sister and then you don't. But you know after rewatching it and knowing the final outcome and being able to focus on other aspects of this episode it really is great. I love the acting performances both by Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and the guest star performances are just as good. I almost want to like Roche when I first meet him. He acts like he and Mulder are just old friends that haven't seen each other in a while. This works very well for a serial killer because actually the exact opposite is the case. The music was another high point of the episode for me. It doesn't happen often that we get an original score for just one episode but this is done here and it is just eerie enough yet soothing to the point that you actually feel like you are in Mulder's dream with him. All in all this is a great episode and I give it a 10/10.