Alpha (The X-Files)

"Alpha"
The X-Files episode
The Wanshang Dhole. The creature was the impetus for the episode, but was derided by several critics for being boring and uninventive.
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 16
Directed by	Peter Markle
Written by	Jeffrey Bell
Production code	6ABX16
Original air date	March 28, 1999
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Andrew Jordt Robinson as Dr. Ian Detweiler Melinda Culea as Karin Berquest Thomas F. Duffy as Jeffrey Cahn James M. Connor as Jake Conroy Michael Mantell as Dr. James Riley David Starwalt as Officer Frank Fiedler Tuan Tran as Fong Yau-Gene Chan as Woo Dana Lee as Yee Lisa Picotte as Stacey Muir Mandy Levin as Angie Treva Tegtmeier as Peggy Adrienne Wilde as Nurse
Episode chronology
← Previous "Arcadia" Next → "Trevor"
List of The X-Files episodes

"Alpha" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on March 28, 1999 in the United States. The episode was written by Jeffrey Bell, and directed by Peter Markle. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Alpha" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, being watched by 17.7 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mostly negative reviews from critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate several killings blamed on an Asian dog called the Wanshang Dhole, thought to be extinct. Mulder and Scully join an obstinate Sheriff, a seemingly eccentric hunter, and a reclusive canine expert to find it. However, there is more mystery to the expert than meets the eye.

"Alpha" was based on a single motif—"Scary dogs in the City"—written by Jeffrey Bell onto a notecard. The episode went through several drafts before being readied right before filming began. Several of the scenes featuring the Chinese freighter were created either through digital technology or through the combination of matte paintings and actual filmed footage.

On a freighter in the South Pacific, two Chinese men inspect a crate with an animal inside. When the ship reaches the Port of Los Angeles, the authorities find the two men in the crate and the animal missing. After Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) receives word of the attack from the mysterious Karin Berquist (Melinda Culea), an expert on canine behavior, he and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate the incident on the ship with the help of San Pedro officer Jeffrey Cahn (Thomas F. Duffy). Meanwhile, in Bellflower, California, a man hears his dog barking in the backyard and lets it in the house. He hears another dog in his backyard and chases it off. After returning to his house he finds his pet dead and is attacked by the mystery dog, who is seen to have glowing red eyes.