Teliko (18 Oct. 1996)
"The X Files" Teliko (original title)

Scully is asked by Assistant Director Skinner to assist officials from the Center for Disease Control in determining the cause of a recent number of deaths in the Philadelphia area. All of ... See full summary »

Director:

Jim Charleston

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator), Howard Gordon

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Carl Lumbly

Cast

Episode credited cast:
David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Carl Lumbly	...	Marcus Duff
Willie Amakye	...	Samuel Aboah
Mitch Pileggi	...	Walter Skinner
Laurie Holden	...	Marita Covarrubias
Brendan Beiser	...	Agent Pendrell
Zakes Mokae	...	Diabria
Bob Morrisey	...	Dr. Simon Bruin
Danny Wattley	...	First Officer
Maxine Guess	...	The Flight Attendant
Bill Mackenzie	...	Bus Driver
Michael O'Shea	...	Lt. Madsen
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geoffrey Aye-Bonte	...	Seat Mate
Don Stewart	...	The Businessman

Storyline

Scully is asked by Assistant Director Skinner to assist officials from the Center for Disease Control in determining the cause of a recent number of deaths in the Philadelphia area. All of the victims were African American and had lost their pigmentation, with their corpses looking albino-like. She finds the basic reason for the loss of pigmentation - their pituitary glands were necrotic - but not the actual cause. Mulder for his part thinks there is something far more sinister at work and contacts Marita Covarrubias at the U.N. who tells him of a similar incident on flight from West Africa some months before.

---

Plot Keywords:

pituitary gland | seed | binocular microscope | boeing 747 | extreme close up | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 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

The tagline for this episode was changed from the usual "The Truth Is Out There" to "Deceive, Inveigle, Obfuscate", a phrase repeated several times throughout the episode.

---

Goofs

As Mulder and Scully are driving toward the abandoned building, the lock on Mulder's door is, between shots, open, then closed, and finally open again.

---

Quotes

Mulder: [seeing the dead body] There's a Michael Jackson joke in here somewhere.

---

Crazy Credits

The tagline at the end of the credits is changed to 'Decieve Inveigle Obfuscate'.

User Reviews

Samuel Aboah, the new Victor Eugene Tooms

Season 4 of The X-Files was a new production crew building upon earlier Mythos. And so, this episode was overlooked.

There is a new "Victor Eugene Tooms" - Samuel Aboah (Willie Amakye) who can contort himself into a coffee can much like Tooms could. But where Tooms has an insatiable appetite for exactly five human livers per sleep cycle, Aboah has other physiological needs: as he as no pituitary gland.

This is also the first time we hear the phrase "Deceive, Inveigle and Obfuscate" which along with "Deny Everything" and "Apology is Policy" is added to the X-Files list of things that cannot be "programmed, categorized, or easily referenced".

Skully solves part of this conundrum from behind a microscope while Mulder chases down clues including tapping his new contact Marita Covarrubias, giving Mulder access to a man who tells him some remarkable stories from his African country of origin about a lost tribe of "Ghosts".

Never mind how Aboah can squeeze into a food cart in a hospital and escape from a Quarantine area, never mind how he can crawl into small storm drains. This guy can fit into any area his head can fit into, no matter how small.

So while in the American continent, as evolution produces Liver Eating, Long Lived aberrations, in Africa parallel evolution produces what we see here.

This episode plays out in darkened rooms and at night, where things that must not be seen are performed with impunity.