Vienen

"Vienen"
The X-Files episode
A black oil infected host infects another person on an oil platform. "Vienen" marked the last appearance of the substance.
Episode no.	Season 8 Episode 18
Directed by	Rod Hardy
Written by	Steven Maeda
Production code	8ABX16
Original air date	April 29, 2001
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner James Pickens, Jr. as Alvin Kersh Casey Biggs as Mr. Saksa Gregory Norman Cruz as Diego Garza M. C. Gainey as Bo Taylor Kevin C. Loomis as Chef Rich Marotta as Hockey Announcer Lee Reherman as Yuri Volkov Miguel Sandoval as Martin Ortega Luis Villalta as Simon de la Cruz Steve Wilcox as Ed Dell
Episode chronology
← Previous "Empedocles" Next → "Alone"
List of The X-Files episodes

"Vienen" is the eighteenth episode of the eighth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, and is the 179th episode overall. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on April 29, 2001, on the Fox Network, and in the United Kingdom on June 7. It was written by staff member Steven Maeda, was directed by Rod Hardy, and forms part of the series' overarching mythology. The episode received a Nielsen household rating of 7.4 and was viewed by 11.8 million viewers. "Vienen" received mixed to positive reviews from critics, many of whom appreciated its hearkening-back to the older mythology of The X-Files.

The season centers on FBI special agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), her new partner John Doggett (Robert Patrick), and Scully's former partner Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), who work on X-Files—cases linked to the paranormal. In this episode, Mulder disobeys orders to stay away from the X-Files and finds himself stranded on a quarantined oil platform with Doggett. They soon discover that the crew has been infected with the black oil, an alien virus that Mulder and Scully have encountered many times before. Despite their dislike for each other, Mulder and Doggett team up and escape before the infected crew members are able to capture and kill them.

The episode was a series milestone, and features the last appearance of the alien black oil before the series finale, where it appeared via flashback—a plot device that plays a significant role in the series and in the 1998 X-Files movie. The oil effects were created using chocolate syrup and molasses. Principal filming for "Vienen" was carried out at three locations: an oil platform, an oil refinery, and on a specially-created set. The episode's title is a Spanish word meaning "they come" or "they are coming", and has been interpreted as foreshadowing the show's Super Soldier narrative arc. Elements of the plot have been compared to the ancient Greek religious and mythological figure Orpheus.