fifteenth episode seventh season science fiction television series files premiered fox network united_states march episode helped explore series overarching mythology earned nielsen household rating watched million people initial broadcast episode received positive reviews critics elements script smoking man motives criticized centers fbi special agents fox_mulder david_duchovny dana_scully gillian_anderson work cases linked paranormal called files mulder believer paranormal skeptical scully assigned debunk work episode scully intrigued young boy cancer parents don believe medical treatment god recovers soon discovers cure scientific eager wary learn truth secrets scully agrees travel smoking man cure mankind diseases script davis writing contribution series davis inspired shakespeare play wanted write story smoking man able lure scully medical knowledge addition episode x-files directed episode title means friend french functions pun reading enemy english plot young cancer patient car carried past cameras shouting placed bed father tells god decide cured cancer later night boy sees bright light men black walking window day boy cured cancer fox_mulder david_duchovny dana_scully gillian_anderson anonymously given information jason case soon investigate house jason says angels came neck cancer gone scully examines neck finds exactly like received abducted leaving scully finds smoking man car smoking man tells saved jason life dying wants previously evil behavior giving cure scully scully leaves smoking man gives phone number scully traces number smoking man office address explains dying cerebral developed surgery sixth extinction agrees trip retrieve cure wears wire order send taped recordings conversations mulder trip smoking man tells scully believes shares special held life hands mulder finds message scully left phone suspicious goes apartment landlord tells left smoking man scully arrive home year old chip neck mulder visits walter_skinner mitch_pileggi voice concern scully calls skinner meeting says fine gas station scully removes wire places envelope mulder man following removes letter lone gunmen come mulder apartment disguise tell find scully reveal found scully man called cobra apparently working shadow project scully wakes cabin pennsylvania instead clothes accuses smoking man claims merely exhausted trying comfortable attempts leave decides continue smoking man tells free choice accept help mulder lone gunmen skinner figure scully communicating cobra find anonymous person scully computer sending cobra messages calling meeting group believe work smoking man skinner know hold dinner smoking man tells scully cure possesses cure cancer human disease extraterrestrial smoking man goes outside tells man following cobra shown scully finds note plate saying meet cove dawn goes stopped cobra gives disc shot killed sniper sniper attempts kill scully killed smoking man scully leaves smoking man gives disc lone gunmen analyze turns smoking man swapped disc blank goes office emptied mulder informs con retrieve information understand smoking man left scully alive final scene shows smoking man throwing real disc lake production writing written portrayed smoking man main theme episode smoking man desire seduce scully agenda understand case medical knowledge davis approached series creator chris_carter idea intrigued assigned executive producer frank_spotnitz work davis craft fledged script script went revisions scenes cut including featured smoking man teaching scully water ski originally script alliance smoking man integral storyline script written element eliminated draft script finished weeks davis saw character romantic hero carter want scully man spent seven years easily eventually producers script adding reality x-files existing past character development ease transition davis later noted basically happy way episode turned despite fact ideas original conception story better actor winning scully affections scully resistant attention smoking man able manipulate scully carter later referred episode year inspiration episode came shakespeare play notably interaction richard biggest inspiration episode came fact davis wished episode interact solely gillian_anderson later noted going scene write episode title translates french english friend title functions pun reading enemy english filming production filming episode rushed scene featuring smoking man scully eating dinner restaurant filmed different days anderson scene shot day davis shot short schedule resulted quick scene construction notably dock sequence near end episode majority lake scenes filmed lake california stunt actor filled anderson scenes called drive motor boat directed marked contribution felt like couldn help explained originally supposed air early seventh season producers realized placing episode close mulder centric sixth extinction character development problematic producers decided episode near middle season broadcast reception aired united_states march episode earned nielsen rating share meaning roughly percent television equipped households percent households watching television tuned episode viewed million viewers episode aired united_kingdom ireland june received million viewers ranking fourth watched episode week fox promoted episode faux cigarette read warning tonight episode contains harmful agent scully health episode later included volume colonization dvd collection contains episodes involved alien plans earth robert_shearman lars_pearson book wanting believe critical guide lone gunmen rated episode half stars praised episode writing plot smoke mirrors doesn matter davis skills actor writer moving awarded episode stars wrote try things straight learn little cigarette smoking man written scully edgy moments revealed extraterrestrial based cure human diseases confuse things black haired man files feature film shows lone gunmen lost zack_handlen awarded episode wrote significant script flaws critical fact script requires scully lot naive usually handlen wrote episode believable far series reveal smoking man scully disappointing shocking despite setbacks concluded episode largely sound performances davis anderson fact entry allowed audience gain insight smoking man motives happy ambiguity smoking man writing episode provides answers ending high degree ambiguity provides little satisfaction reviewer physical condition state mind
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