"Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" | |
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The X-Files episode | |
Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 3 |
Directed by | Darin Morgan |
Written by | Darin Morgan |
Production code | 1AYW03 |
Original air date | February 1, 2016 |
Running time | 44 minutes |
Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" is the third episode of the tenth season of The X-Files. Written and directed by Darin Morgan, it aired on February 1, 2016, on Fox and guest stars Rhys Darby as Guy Mann, Kumail Nanjiani as Pasha, and Tyler Labine as Stoner #1.
The show centers on FBI special agents who work on unsolved paranormal cases called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) after their reinstatement in the FBI. In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate mysterious killings seemingly perpetrated by a were-monster. Eventually, Mulder meets said "monster" (Darby), a lizard-creature, who, after having been bitten by a human, turns into a human during the day.
"Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" can trace its origin back to a script entitled "The M Word" that Morgan had written for Frank Spotnitz's short-lived show, Night Stalker. Once it was decided that The X-Files would be revived, Morgan heavily modified his script so that it could work as an episode involving Mulder and Scully. This also allowed Morgan to add in various easter eggs. The episode was met with glowing critical reception, with most reviewers calling it the best episode of the tenth season; for instance, Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, awarded the episode a 100% approval rating with an average score of 9.5 out of 10 based on 22 reviews. Ratings-wise, the episode was watched by 8.37 million viewers, and scored a 2.7 Nielsen rating in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic.
When a dead body is found with its throat ripped open in the woods outside Shawan, Oregon, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are called in to investigate whether it was an animal attack, a serial killer or just maybe a strange creature as described by eyewitnesses. Mulder continues to question his faith in the unexplained as he attempts to gather proof of the existence of the new creature he and Scully investigate before jumping to conclusions. During an inspection of a truck stop, Mulder, Scully, and an animal control officer named Pasha (Kumail Nanjiani) seemingly encounter the creature.