Never Again (The X-Files)

"Never Again"
The X-Files episode
Ed Jerse's tattoo, Betty, possessing its own mind
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 13
Directed by	Rob Bowman
Written by	Glen Morgan James Wong
Production code	4X13
Original air date	February 2, 1997
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Rodney Rowland as Ed Jerse Jodie Foster as Voice of Betty Bill Croft as Comrade Svo Jay Donahue as Detective Gouveia B.J. Harrison as a Jehovah's Witness Igor Morozov as Vsevlod Pudovkin Jillian Fargey as Kaye Schilling Jan Bailey Mattia as Ms. Hadden Ian Robison as Detective Smith Barry "Bear" Hortin as Bartender Marilyn Chin as Mrs. Shima-Tsuno Rita Bozi as Ms. Vansen Natasha Vasiluk as Russian Store Owner Peter Nadler as Ed's Lawyer Jenn Forgie as Ed's Ex-Wife Sean Pritchard as Ed's Ex-Wife's Lawyer Carla Stewart as Judge Doug Devlin as Young Man
Episode chronology
← Previous "Leonard Betts" Next → "Memento Mori"
List of season 4 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"Never Again" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode aired in the United States on February 2, 1997 on the Fox network and in the United Kingdom on BBC One on December 3, 1997. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 13 and was viewed by 21.36 million viewers. It received mostly positive reviews from television 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, Scully leaves town—and Mulder—for a solo assignment. She soon meets Ed Jerse, a man who is being mentally controlled by a drug-related side effect of his tattoo. His tattoo, affectionately named Betty, does not want to share him, especially not with Scully.

Although "Never Again" was directed by Bowman, it was originally scheduled to be directed by noted movie director Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino was unable to direct the entry due to a dispute with the Directors Guild of America. Gillian Anderson was particularly pleased with the episode showing a different side of Scully; she had specifically asked Morgan and Wong to write an episode that explored Scully's dark side. Several cast members from Morgan and Wong's series Space: Above and Beyond were cast in the episode.