The Erlenmeyer Flask

"The Erlenmeyer Flask"
The X-Files episode
The "Crew Cut Man" (right), a government assassin, shoots "Deep Throat" (left)
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 24
Directed by	R. W. Goodwin
Written by	Chris Carter
Production code	1X23
Original air date	May 13, 1994
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Lindsey Ginter as the Crew Cut Man Anne De Salvo as Dr. Anne Carpenter Simon Webb as Dr. William Secare Ken Kramer as Dr. Terrance Berube Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat William B. Davis as The Smoking Man
Episode chronology
← Previous "Roland" Next → "Little Green Men"
List of season 1 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"The Erlenmeyer Flask" is the 24th episode and the first season finale of the science fiction television series The X-Files. Written by executive producer Chris Carter, and directed by R. W. Goodwin, the episode continues with the mythology story arc which started with "Pilot". The episode first aired in the United States on May 13, 1994 on the Fox network. With 8.3 million households turning in during its initial broadcast, the episode was the most-viewed episode of the show's first season. The episode received an Edgar Award nomination in the Best Episode in a TV Series category, and has, since broadcast, received positive responses from both critics and crew members.

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. In this episode, Mulder and Scully discover evidence of a secret government experimentation with alien DNA, but the evidence and everyone who has seen it are quickly targeted for elimination.

"The Erlenmeyer Flask" introduced several new plot elements which would continue in later seasons and featured the death of recurring character "Deep Throat" (Jerry Hardin). Carter described the inspiration for the episode as "the result of a year-long learning experience".