files ninth episode ninth season american science fiction television series files premiered fox network march episode written series creator chris_carter executive producer frank_spotnitz directed kim_manners helps explore series overarching mythology episode received nielsen household rating watched million households million viewers received mixed positive reviews critics centers special agents fbi work cases linked paranormal called files season focuses investigations dana_scully gillian_anderson episode spaceship fbi hides investigation x-files scully forced drastic measures discovers threat william introduced character man played character leader worked fbi ninth season episode makes reference alien wreck direct continuation plots sixth season finale seventh season opener sixth extinction plot found crashed attempting cross canada united_states border dana_scully gillian_anderson called meeting walter_skinner mitch_pileggi unknown men shown copy asked identify meeting scully explains similar ones found wrecked spacecraft years prior uses alien artifact begins heal wounds crash alberta canada downed spacecraft excavated direction leader ufo religion fbi breaks skinner office steals fbi personnel file belonging agent reyes reveals match africa suggesting existence second craft goes scully apartment locks william room scully arrives struggle forced shoot tries baby mortally wounded tells scully william die scully searches jacket discovers artifact later calgary sees newspaper headline shooting rushes dig site informs washington admits scully gone undercover cult reveals military officer explains given assignment investigate series death threats fox_mulder david_duchovny reyes brings william scully apartment artifact flies william head scully realizing wrong plans drive william safe time notices watching nearby scully reyes drive away confronts woman gunpoint runs scully places william care soon ambushed woman opens door van find john holding william woman puts gun head production written series creator chris_carter executive producer frank_spotnitz directed kim_manners manners pleased anderson performance episode later noted sexual elaborated burning comes screen brilliant brings camera loves large portion episode based ancient astronaut theory theory proposes intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited earth antiquity contact humans themes previously visited sixth extinction story arc episode marked appearance man leader works fbi interview digital_spy described effectively stepping stained chair departed cigarette smoking man head new syndicate later exposed alien makes final appearance assistant previously appeared sixth season episodes triangle scenes calgary actually shot universal_studios lot los_angeles order convert los_angeles calgary created shot background buildings edited separate shot calgary superimposed background scenes mixed broadcast reception premiered fox network united_states march episode earned nielsen household rating meaning seen nation estimated households viewed million households viewed million viewers 61st watched episode television aired week ending march episode eventually aired bbc january later included volume dvd collection contains episodes involved alien super soldiers arc received mixed positive reviews television critics television pity awarded episode grade gave episode largely positive review awarded wrote overall intense episode plenty strong characterization ties continuity short episode hope episode manages live beginning dvd talk concluded follow providence fairly good job including duchovny adherence series main storyline government reviews negative robert_shearman lars_pearson book wanting believe critical guide lone gunmen rated episode star noted anderson constantly playing mother crying shouting looking miserable episode wrote episode characters longer sense plot required dance little conspiracy consistency furthermore shearman pearson criticized idea suggest mulder died episode fact carter announced duchovny return season finale book denying truth files criticised plot episode saying throws elements seen series better hope stick
Provenance (The X-Files)