Christmas Carol (The X-Files)

"Christmas Carol"
The X-Files episode
Melissa and Dana Scully open presents on Christmas in a flashback. Gillian Anderson's younger sister Zoe was chosen to play Scully in the sequence.
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 6
Directed by	Peter Markle
Written by	Vince Gilligan John Shiban Frank Spotnitz
Production code	5X05
Original air date	December 7, 1997
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Pat Skipper as Bill Scully Jr. Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully Karri Turner as Tara Scully John Pyper-Ferguson as Detective Kresge Rob Freeman as Marshall Sim Lauren Diewold as Emily Sim Melinda McGraw as Melissa Scully Joey Shea as Dana Scully (1968) Ryan de Boer as Bill Scully Jr. (1968) Zoë Anderson as Dana Scully (1976) Rebecca Codling as Melissa Scully (1976) Gerard Plunkett as Dr. Ernest Calderon Patricia Dahlquist as Susan Chambliss Walter Marsh as Pathologist Jo-Anne Fernandez as Forensic Technician Dan Shea as Deputy Gregor Sneddon as FBI Courier Eric Breker as Dark Suited Man #1 Stephen Mendel as Dark Suited Man #2
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Post-Modern Prometheus" Next → "Emily"
List of Season 5 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"Christmas Carol" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz and directed by Peter Markle. The episode explores the series' overarching mythology. The episode premiered in the United States on December 7, 1997 on the Fox network, earning a Nielsen household rating of 12.8 and being watched by 20.91 million people in its initial broadcast. It received moderately positive reviews from television critics, with many complimenting Gillian Anderson's performance.

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, Scully, on Christmas vacation with her family, receives a mysterious phone call that leads her to a case involving a little girl that she believes to be the daughter of her dead sister, Melissa.

"Christmas Carol" is the first of a two-part story that concludes with episode seven, "Emily". The episode was inspired by the 1951 British film Scrooge, starring Alastair Sim. The young actress who originally played Emily was terrified of the hospital setting in the episode's sequel "Emily", and as a result the producers had to recast the role and reshoot all footage featuring her including her scene featured in this episode. Gillian Anderson's younger sister, Zoe, was chosen to play Scully in a flashback sequence.

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and her mother visit her brother Bill and his pregnant wife Tara around Christmas time. Scully answers the phone, and the person on the other line, who sounds just like her dead sister Melissa, tells her that someone needs her help. Scully traces the call to a nearby home in San Diego where a group of cops are investigating the suicide of a woman, Roberta Sim. The lead detective, Kresge, tells Scully that it was impossible for Roberta to have dialed, as she died before the telephone call was made. That night after dinner Scully reveals to her mother that due to her abduction and cancer she is unable to bear children. Scully flashes back to when as a child, she hid her pet rabbit from her brother in a lunchbox, only for it to suffocate and die. Scully receives another telephone call from the same person on her cell phone, which was once again made from the Sim home. Roberta's husband, Marshall, is meeting with two dark-suited men inside his house and has no desire to listen to and help Scully figure out what is going on.