The Walk (The X-Files)

"The Walk"
The X-Files episode
The episode's antagonist: Rappo. The episode was inspired by the film The Men, which features a character who has lost his legs in war and wishes to be able to walk again.
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 7
Directed by	Rob Bowman
Written by	John Shiban
Production code	3X07
Original air date	November 10, 1995
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Thomas Kopache as General Thomas Callahan Willie Garson as Quinton "Roach" Freely Don Thompson as Lt. Col. Victor Stans Nancy Sorel as Capt. Janet Draper Ian Tracey as Leonard "Rappo" Trimble Paula Shaw as Ward Nurse Deryl Hayes as Army Doctor Rob Lee as Amputee Andrea Barclay as Mrs. Callahan Beatrice Zeilinger as Burly Nurse
Episode chronology
← Previous "2Shy" Next → "Oubliette"
List of season 3 episodes List of The X-Files episodes

"The Walk" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by John Shiban and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode aired in the United States on November 10, 1995 on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Walk" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.4, being watched by 15.91 million people in its initial broadcast. Critical reception was mixed.

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, a failed suicide attempt by a patient in a U.S. Army hospital interests Mulder with the talk of a "phantom soldier" who has prevented the man's death. The U.S. Army General in charge of the hospital is initially opposed to the FBI's involvement until the invisible killer begins stalking him. Everyone involved in the case is shocked to learn that the primary suspect could in fact, be a quadruple amputee.

"The Walk" is the first X-Files script by John Shiban, who commented that it was a challenge for him. He was inspired by the film The Men, which features a character who has lost his legs in war and wishes to be able to walk again. The episode required several visual effects which were almost not completed in time.