Ascension (The X-Files)

"Ascension"
The X-Files episode
Special agent Dana Scully kidnapped and gagged by Duane Barry
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 6
Directed by	Michael Lange
Written by	Paul Brown
Production code	2X06
Original air date	October 21, 1994
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Steve Railsback as Duane Barry Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner Nicholas Lea as Alex Krycek Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully Steven Williams as X William B. Davis as The Smoking Man Peter LaCroix as aerial tramway technician
Episode chronology
← Previous "Duane Barry" Next → "3"
List of The X-Files episodes

"Ascension" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 1994. It was written by Paul Brown, directed by Michael Lange, and featured guest appearances by Steve Railsback, Nicholas Lea, Steven Williams and Sheila Larken. The episode helped explore the series' overarching mythology.

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. However, the events of "Ascension" are a continuation of the plot of the preceding episode, "Duane Barry". Following the kidnapping of Scully by an unhinged alien abductee Duane Barry (Steve Railsback), Mulder races to track her down.

The decision to have the character of Scully abducted was driven by necessity, as Anderson had become pregnant and required time off from production. "Ascension" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.6, being watched by 9.2 million households in its initial broadcast, and received positive reviews from critics.

Upon hearing the voicemail showing Dana Scully's (Gillian Anderson) kidnapping by Duane Barry, her partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) heads to her apartment and surveys the crime scene. He meets with Scully's mother, Margaret, who claims to have had a dream about her being taken away. The next morning, Assistant Director Walter Skinner tells Mulder that he is "too close" to the case to be involved, and orders another FBI agent, Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), to escort him home. Meanwhile, Barry speeds down the Blue Ridge Parkway when he is pulled over by a highway patrol officer. When Scully—locked in the trunk—tries to get the officer's attention, Barry kills him. Mulder reviews a video of the traffic stop, and sees that Scully is still alive.