Improbable (The X-Files)

"Improbable"
The X-Files episode
Burt's smiling face merged with a high city view.
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 13
Directed by	Chris Carter
Written by	Chris Carter
Production code	9ABX14
Original air date	April 7, 2002
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Travis Riker as Baby William Burt Reynolds as Burt/God Ellen Greene as Vicki Burdick John Kapelos as Fordyce Ray McKinnon as Mad Wayne Tighe Barry as Homeless Man Shannon Maureen Brown as Pretty Blonde Amy D'Allessandro as Amy Nick De Marinis as Pizza Man Ernesto Gasco as Heavy Italian Man Benito Prezia as Old Italian Man Cara Tripicchio as Italian Girl Christine Trippichio as Italian Girl Sandra Tripicchio as Italian Girl Larry Udy as Middle-Aged Man Angelo Vacco as Bartender Angelo Vacco as Guido Beth Watson as Woman
Episode chronology
← Previous "Underneath" Next → "Scary Monsters"
List of The X-Files episodes

"Improbable" is the thirteenth episode of the ninth season and the 195th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on April 7, 2002 on Fox, and subsequently aired in the United Kingdom. It was written and directed by series creator and executive producer Chris Carter. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the mythology, or overarching fictional history, of The X-Files. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 9.1 million viewers. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Reyes and her fellow agents investigate a serial killer who uses numerology to choose his victims. Soon, Reyes and Scully meet an unusual man who may prove more of a hindrance than a help.

"Improbable" features Burt Reynolds playing God. Reynolds was chosen after he expressed his desire to appear in an episode of The X-Files to Robert Patrick. Carter approved the idea, and Patrick later said that Reynolds enjoyed filming the episode. "Improbable" contains several elaborate effects, such as a cityscape rendered to look like Reynolds' head. Furthermore, the episode contains themes pertaining to fate, free will, and numerology. The tagline for this episode is "Dio Ti Ama", meaning "God loves you" in Italian, replacing the usual phrase "The Truth is Out There."