Tithonus (The X-Files)

"Tithonus"
The X-Files episode
Alfred Fellig, the metaphorical "Tithonus", takes a picture of a dying Dana Scully. In order to achieve the effect, the film was reverse-film colorized.
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 10
Directed by	Michael W. Watkins
Written by	Vince Gilligan
Production code	6ABX09
Original air date	January 24, 1999
Running time	45 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Geoffrey Lewis as Alfred Fellig Richard Ruccolo as Agent Peyton Ritter James Pickens, Jr. as Assistant Director Alvin Kersh Matt Gallini as Hood Naomi Matsuda as Streetwalker Ange Billman as Secretary Barry Wiggins as NYPD Detective Javier Grajeda as Desk Sergeant Dell Yount as Truck Driver Nicky Fane as Blue-Collar Man Don Fehmel as EMT Coby Ryan McLaughlin as Young Agent Jolyon Resse as Second Young Agent
Episode chronology
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List of The X-Files episodes

"Tithonus" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 24, 1999. The episode was written by Vince Gilligan, and directed by Michael W. Watkins. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Tithonus" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.2, being watched by 15.90 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews.

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 learns that she, but not Mulder, is being given a chance to prove her worth at the FBI, and—paired with a new partner—she investigates a crime scene photographer with an uncanny knack for arriving just in time to see his victims' final moments. What she does not expect, however, is for Death to play a role himself.

Vince Gilligan wrote "Tithonus" in an attempt to create a story wherein immortality is portrayed as scary. The episode was based on three real aspects of history: Arthur Fellig, the Greek myth of Tithonus, and the yellow fever epidemic. In addition, several of the scenes were filmed on the sets from NYPD Blue, whose sets were located just across from The X-Files studios. The character of Alfred Fellig in "Tithonus" has thematically been compared to the Tithonus in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's dramatic monologue of the same name. In addition, themes of immortality and escaping death were revisited in the eighth season episode "The Gift".