18 April 2007

Season 3: Nisei (3X09)

Writers: Chris Carter, Howard Gordon and Frank Spotnitz
Director: Rob Bowman

Mulder purchases a mail order video tape that claims to be of an actual alien autopsy, in the final few frames armed men are seen storming the room. Mulder and Scully travel to Allentown, Pennsylvannia to the tape distributors home to question him. Only to discover that he has been murdered, Mulder takes a Japanese man in to custody at the scene. It turns out the man is a Diplomat immune from prosecution, Assistant Director Skinner takes over the sensitive case.

Mulder however still has the diplomat's satchel and finds a list of local Mutual UFO Network members and satellite photographs inside. Mulder takes the photographs to show the Lone Gunman who identify the salvage ship Talapus that had been searching for a Japanese submarine sunk during World War Two. Mulder travels to Virginia to investigate, meanwhile Scully meets with some of the local MUFON members and is surprised when they claim to know her. That they saw her when she was abducted and tested on like them.

They are all multiple abductees and have the same implants that Scully had removed from her neck. Meanwhile in Virginia Mulder finds evidence that the Talapus brought back salvaged UFO debris. Mulder is contacted by Senator Matheson who warns him to return the satellite photographs. Even X is concerned, he contacts Scully to warn Mulder that his life is in danger. But it is to late as Mulder, following up on a lead, boards a train that he believes is carrying a live alien.

Notes:
'Nisei' is the Japanese word for a person born in America or Canada to Japanese parents (who were born in Japan). Translated literally, it means 'second generation'.

Several locations in this episode are featured prominently in the X-Files video game for the PC and Playstation, The train yard and the shipping docks to name a few. Also, the same train car Mulder becomes trapped in, as well as the exact same boat Mulder investigates early on in the episode are places you can explore in the game.

Scully's joke about the hokey Alien Autopsy special on FOX turned out to be ironic since Fox repeated the special the following night. They even even aired some promotional spots for the special during the original telecast.

The storyline of this episode was originally conceived as a stand-alone episode.

This episode introduces the love-struck Agent Pendrell (Brenden Beiser), whose hard work in the FBI Sci-Crime lab proves invaluable through the 3rd and 4th seasons. He is more than willing to put in the long hours and get the job done for his favourite agent, Dana Scully.

The number on the boxcar in which the alien autopsy takes place is 82594. This recalls the date, August 25th 1994, when Chris Carter made his directing debut, for the episode 'Duane Barry'.

When Senator Richard Matheson tells Mulder about the four Japanese Nationals had been murdered, he says that the murders had occurred several WEEKS ago, but when Mulder brings Scully up to speed a scene or two later, he tells her that someone must have been able to identify the four doctors who were performing the autopsy because they were murdered YESTERDAY.

Quotes:
Scully: Where did you get this?
Mulder: From Someone like you, who wants proof.. Who's also willing to believe.

Langly: The name of the boat is the Talapus. Just gotta love them German optics.
Mulder: So you're saying that's from a German satellite?
Byers: No, the optics are German. The technology is probably ours, but the satellite is most likely Japanese.
Frohike: Launched from South America.
Mulder: Gotta love that global economy, huh?

Episode Number: 58
Season Number: 3
First Aired: Friday November 24, 1995
Production Code: 3X09

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