S9.E19

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The Truth

Episode aired May 19, 2002
TV-14TV-14
1h 26m

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

Crime Drama Mystery

Mulder's return leads to him being tried for murder before a military tribunal where he seeks to prove the very existence of an alien conspiracy and justify the maintenance of the X-Files.Mulder's return leads to him being tried for murder before a military tribunal where he seeks to prove the very existence of an alien conspiracy and justify the maintenance of the X-Files.Mulder's return leads to him being tried for murder before a military tribunal where he seeks to prove the very existence of an alien conspiracy and justify the maintenance of the X-Files.

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

- Kim Manners
- Chris Carter
- Steven Maeda(executive story editor)
- Thomas Schnauz(story editor)
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Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, Annabeth Gish, and Robert Patrick in The X-Files (1993)

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in The Truth (2002)

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Trivia
(at around 1h 11 mins) Mulder mentions Mr. X. It is the only (known) time Mr. X's name is mentioned on screen.

Goofs
Mulder is being tried by a military tribunal, however, since he is a civilian, he would not be subject to one since the military cannot try civilians.

Quotes
[last lines]
Dana Scully: [Scully is lying on a motel bed, Mulder sits on the floor leaning against the bed, staring at the ceiling] What are you thinking?
[he doesn't answer]
Dana Scully: Mulder?
Fox Mulder: [speaks while continuing to look at the ceiling] I'm thinking... I'm a guilty man. I've failed in every respect. I deserve the harshest punishment for my crimes.
Dana Scully: You don't believe that.
Fox Mulder: [sighs] I believe... that I sat in a motel room like this with you when we first met... and I tried to convince you of the truth. And in that respect, I succeeded, but...
[he turns to face her]
Fox Mulder: in every other way... I've failed.
Dana Scully: You don't believe that, either.
Fox Mulder: Mm. I've been chasing after monsters with a butterfly net. You heard the man - the date's set. I can't change that.
Dana Scully: You wouldn't tell me. Not because you were afraid or broken... but because you didn't want to accept defeat.
Fox Mulder: Well... I was afraid of what knowing would do to you. I was afraid that it would crush... your spirit.
Dana Scully: Why would I accept defeat? Why would I accept it if you won't? Mulder, you say that you've failed, but you only fail if you give up. And I know you - you can't give up. It's what I saw in you when we first met. It's what made me follow you... why I'd do it all over again.
Fox Mulder: And look what it's gotten you.
Dana Scully: And what has it gotten you? Not your sister. Nothing that you've set out for. But you won't give up, even now.
[she reaches out and holds his hand]
Dana Scully: You've always said that you want to believe. But believe in what, Mulder? If this is the truth that you've been looking for, then what is left to believe in?
Fox Mulder: I want to believe that... the dead are not lost to us. That they speak to us... as part of something greater than us... greater than any alien force. And if you and I are powerless now, I want to believe that if we listen, to what's speaking, it can give us the power to save ourselves.
Dana Scully: Then we believe the same thing.
Fox Mulder: [he reaches out and holds her cross necklace pendant between his fingers, she kisses his thumb, he gets into bed and they embrace] Maybe there's hope.

Crazy credits
This episode marks the return of David Duchovny to the main cast, and also credits Mitch Pileggi in the opening titles. Five people are credited in the main credits: David Duchovny (Fox Mulder), Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully), Robert Patrick (John Doggett), Annabeth Gish (Monica Reyes), and Mitch Pileggi (Walter Skinner).

Alternate versions
In the alternate series ending, "Toothpick Man" (Alan Dale) hands George W. Bush (Unknown actor) a note. Bush reads it and asks "What do you want me to do? I thought this was being handled. The truth is out there now." TM replies "The truth has always been out there Mr. President. The people just don't want to believe." TM leaves and W stares out at the Washington Monument quietly. This ending can be found on the Region 1 DVD in the special features section. And it is also included (only in English) on the Region 2 (German) DVD complete series edition.

Connections
Featured in The X Files: The Making of 'The Truth' (2004)

Soundtracks
Maybe There is Hope
Written and Performed by Mark Snow

User reviews30

Review

Featured review

7/10

Heavy going, but ties up lots of loose ends.

Mulder is back, and stands accused of killing a member of The Military.

It would be thirteen years before the show would return, I remember the distain felt by many fans when the show ended here, this did feel like a natural end of The X Files.

Personally, this final installment, was not as good as I had hoped for, but still a watchable, interesting episode, which does tie up several loose ends.

It's like a role call of past episodes, there are so many faces from the past, so many flashbacks, and that's perhaps some of the problem. It's like as if too much time was spent slotting in so many faces, that the actual plot seemed to be sacrificed at times.

I wasn't particularly crazy about The Super Soldier storyline, it did go on and on, I was glad to see some sort of resolution.

On the plus side, the acting was great, and it was nice to see Skinner having such a big part, and it was of course nice to see Mulder and Scully.

On the downside, the story was maybe a little too heavy, and I felt that Doggett and Reyes were just sidelined, both having put in some cracking performances in Series 9, they just seemed to be shoved to one side here.

Interesting, just a little too heavy, 7/10.

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